Walking Dead (On hiatus)
by Death546
Summary: AU story with more diverse zombies and new characters. Here's the fun part: You give me the survivors. Send in your OC survivor, and they'll survive with others. Rated M for very dark themes, cursing, and sexual reference. APPS OPEN
1. Survivor App

On July 15th, 2019, everything went to hell. That day became known as Z-Day. 5 years later, the world is overrun. People have managed to build communities, and there is a trade between them. Outside these makeshift towns is the ruins of the old world. There are also bunkies, the term used for the people who have stayed underground in bunkers since Z-Day. These people have grown smaller, sheltered communities, and can contain group sizes from small families to a large group of 20-30 people. They don't know anything about the outside, and would have a difficult time surviving if their bunker were compromised. Those who live out in the ruin have many names: Nomads; wanderers; lost ones; hunters. Most of them are hardened, cold, and ruthless, doing anything it takes to survive. Others are just husks, just wandering around, existing. Still others stay out there to help others who get lost out there. The rest stay out there because they either don't trust communities, or just prefer to be alone.

Zombie variants:

Normals: Average, most common zombie. Though slow and stupid individually, in hordes they are dangerous, and can easily overwhelm anything.

Runners: Second most common zombie, though not nearly as common as average ones. They are much faster and much more agile than normal ones, and are twitchy.

Spitters: Mutation causing the zombie's saliva to be acidic, and dissolves living flesh. They are rare enough that they aren't really a common sight.

Boomers: Bloated zombies with a mutation that causes them to explode when they get excited, which would only happen when they're about to eat.

Tanks: Not as fast as runners, but faster than normals. Their skin has mutated to be incredibly dense, capable of resisting high powered gunfire and blades. They also grow to twice the size of normals. They develop immense strength, and can knock away cars, sometimes trucks. They are a very rare variant, thankfully, but usually require creative means of killing them, or at least incapacitating them.

So now that you have the scenario, send in some survivors. Now, the group has already been established with the current OCs, so I'm going to be extremely selective when it comes to survivors now, but if you send me a really good one, I'll introduce them to the story. My survivor is below, follow the app and give me your survivor. If you PM it to me, make the subject Walking Dead OC, or I won't accept it. Your survivor can be a bunkie who got thrust into the real world, a wanderer, someone who gets kicked out of a town, whatever. **IF YOU SEND ME A VILLAIN, PM ME THE APP.** I want the villains' secrets to be… well… secrets. The villain app will be chapter after this one. No Mary Sues (perfect people) everyone has weaknesses. **WARNING: Bad things may happen to your OCs, some of them will die.**

 **Name** : Tristan

 **Gender** : Male

 **Sexuality** : Bisexual

 **Would he search for a relationship** : He never forgot Daniel, but he'd be willing to be with someone who makes him happy.

 **Appearance** : 6'6'', lean but muscular, tan, scar across his right eye and all over his body, dark brown ruffled short hair, brown eyes.

 **Age** : 35

 **Bio** : Tristan was born into a middle class family. He had a good childhood, a good circle of friends, loving and accepting parents, a wonderful little sister, and a good school. Only problem was he got into fights. They were justified to him, as he was only attacking people who were picking on other kids. He never bothered to try and fix this, and while he got his fair share of detentions, his parents were proud, and told him that they were glad he had a kind heart. He partook in martial arts, and loved hanging out with his friends. When he turned sixteen, his parents took him to the animal shelter to pick out a pet, as a present. There was a mix mutt puppy (doberman and great dane) in the back that had been rescued from an animal testing lab. Tristan took a liking to him, and took him home. He then raised the pup, named him Diego, and they became best of friends. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the army, taking Diego with him. They both passed boot camp, and were assigned to Afghanistan. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming a Navy SEAL, and joined a spec ops squad. While serving in Afghanistan in his first few years, Tristan met Daniel, and they grew close, and after discovering each other's sexualities began dating. Daniel didn't live too far from where Tristan did, and so they often visited each other after they returned home.

 **What happened to him on Z-day** : He was out with Daniel, walking down a city street. Daniel was visiting Tristan and his family. People started screaming, and they turned around. A man was chewing on a woman's face. Tristan ran over and kicked the man's head. To his surprise, the man stood back up and growled. More zombies started coming out, and everyone started running. Daniel got bitten on the ankle, and Tristan drove him back home. When they got there, Tristan's family was watching the news. All over the world there were reports of sudden mass cannibalism. Daniel had passed out, and Tristan set him on the couch. He went outside to the backyard to check if any zombies were outside, and to secure the backyard. When he went back inside, Daniel and his little sister were eating his parents. Horrified, he tied them down, and locked them in a closet. After a few minutes, his parents turned as well. He locked them in the closet too, and had to reinforce it. He was freaking out, and over the course of the next few days, his family pounded on the closet door as the world deteriorated. He accepted the fact that they were gone. He got his dad's pistol, opened the door, and shot them all with tears in his eyes. He only had Diego then.

 **Where is he now** : Tristan wanders with Diego, surviving and helping those who can't help themselves. He has spent years surviving out in the wasteland with only his dog for company. Due to this lack of contact with other people, aside from the occasional encounter with other survivors, towns, or bandits, added to the fact that he is constantly in danger, has PTSD from serving in the military, and that he had to kill all of his loved ones after they turned, he has gone a little insane. He still has a grip on reality, can talk normally, and knows who he is, but he has developed strange habits and quirks. These include talking and conversing with his dog as if he is a person, is extremely reckless, he doesn't have a filter for what he says, shaving with a knife, mumbling to himself, often hums or sings, even while in combat.

 **Personality** : Despite his insanity, he is still himself. He is loyal, compassionate, going out of his way to help any survivors he comes across, giving them rides to nearby towns and communities where they'll be safe. Though reckless with his own well-being, he is always careful to keep others out of harm's way. He also has not lost his combat expertise, nor his strategic thinking.

 **Weapons/clothes/skills** : Tristan has a wide array of tools and skills. He carries a genuine japanese katana, and is a master swordsman. He is a sharp shooter, and carries a SPR Mk 12, Dragunov SVDS sniper rifle, and pistol, preferring them over rapid fire and less precise weapons such as shotguns or assault rifles. He has a swiss army knife with multiple blades and tools, and a SEAL team s37 knife. He carries a large satchel filled with ammo, a canteen, and food. He knows how to pick locks, knows multiple martial arts, and how to prepare good food. He has basic battlefield medical skills. He wears a black bullhide leather jacket, jeans with black leather wrapped around them, a bullet proof vest under a gray T-shirt, steel toed combat boots, black leather gloves, and a dark brown fedora. He wears a silver locket with pictures of his deceased family, and a second one with his boyfriend, along with a silver cross.

 **Weaknesses** : Due to his insanity, he is reckless, and puts himself in danger. Before he goes into a building, he turns on a radio at full blast to draw out any zombies in the building. He sings along with the song as he kills the zombies, and leaves the radio blaring as he loots the building, singing the entire time. He doesn't have a social filter, always saying exactly what he's thinking. Sometimes this is good, but it also gets him into trouble. While he is a genius when it comes to strategizing and combat, academically he isn't very smart. He can be angered easily, and has zero tolerance for people who he deems as assholes, or bad people.

 **Likes** : Weapons, dogs, books, Mexican food, music, dancing, singing, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Indiana Jones

 **Hates** : evil and corrupt people, assholes, cowards, feeling useless, and staying cooped up.

 **Who is he with?** : His dog, Diego, is a mutt mix of a doberman and a great dane. He has the size and power of a great dane, but looks like a doberman. He is completely loyal to Tristan, and understands him perfectly. The infection only affects humans, so he is able to aid Tristan in battle by biting and tearing apart zombies. He also served with Tristan in the military, as he is able to sniff out bombs and other threats, and is powerful in combat. Tristan kept Diego's military armor, and he almost always wears it for protection.

 **If he were to die (not saying they will or won't) how would you like to see them die? (May not happen they way you want it, but I'll try)** : The group is surrounded, there's no escape. Tristan grabs his radio, blasts it at full volume, and lures the entire horde away, firing his gun in the air, allowing the group to escape. As he is overwhelmed, he shoots himself in the head.

 **If your OC is a wanderer, what kind of transportation does he/she have?** : An RV with additional plating screwed on for armor. Interior is like a home. There's a bed, a kitchen, the driver's couch (yes, couch.) another couch, bookshelves with Tristan's favorite books, a bathroom. There are posters of old world music stars and bands.

 **If your OC is a bunkie, what is their bunker like?** : N/A

 **If your OC is part of a town, what is it like, and what role do they play?** : N/A

The villain app will be in the chapter after this.


	2. Villain App

And here's the villain app. Remember, they must be PM.

Name:

Gender:

Appearance:

Age:

Pre-Apocalypse Bio: Life before the apocalypse.

Apocalypse Bio: How they started out in the apocalypse, and where they are now.

Personality:

Weapons/clothes/skills:

Weaknesses: These are optional, but definitely recommended.

Likes:

Hates:

What specifically makes them bad/evil: Go in depth about what they do that's evil. And it can be as fucked up as you want it to be. If it's raping kids like Sam, send it in, this is a dark story. Cannibals, evil priests, etc. Gimme.

If they are part of a town, what position do they have and what is it like:

If they are a wanderer, what is their vehicle, and are they in a group:

Like I said, as evil as you want them to be. Send them in, and have a nice day.


	3. Character List

Now these are just the characters who have been in the group, not all characters ever. this includes villains that joined the group who weren't revealed as villains until later.

Tristan byDeath546

Alice by Death546

David by Death546

Diego by Death546

Alec by Death546

Aaron by Death546

Elizabeth by Death546

Ella by Hawk-eye-33

Corporal by Hawk-eye-33

Dani by Hawk-eye-33

Tyson by Hawk-eye-33

John by Mandalore the freedom

Jaina by Mandalore the freedom

Connor by Mandalore the freedom

Ryan by stormrunner74

Sakura by Gwendolyn Winchester

Amber by Gwendolyn Winchester

Sorano by Gwendolyn Winchester

Michael by OoJockeyoO

Deceased:

Josh by Mandalore the freedom

McKenna by Hawk-eye-33

Wade "Dom" by RuffDaScholar

Natalie by Death546

James by bruno14

Rachel by stormrunner74


	4. Meeting the Kids

Here it is! By the way, not all of the OC's will be in every chapter until they all meet up. OC's in this chapter will be Tristan and Alice. Next chapter will have Ryan Mattson sent in by stormrunner74 and Alec.

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It was quiet in the bunker, the only sign of life the lone guard standing by the entrance next to the alarm. He yawned, checking the time. Hi eyes lit up, it was almost…

The bell rang, and right on schedule the men and women of the bunker got out of their rooms to start their daily duties. Matt walked up to the guard, flashing him a smile. "I'll take over, go get some sleep night owl."

The guard tipped his hat tiredly, heading off for his room.

Alice peeked out of her room, rubbing her bright blue eyes and brushing her orange hair out of her face as her dad pushed past her to head for the engine room. She turned to her mommy, still lying in bed. She walked over, leaning in and pecking her mommy on her nose, waking her up and bringing a tired smile to her face. "Morning Allie."

"Morning mommy!" She chirped. "The bell rang, are you getting up?"

Her mother shifted uncomfortably. "Erm… mommy has a sore back, she needs to lay down for a bit, okay sweetie? Why don't you go find David?"

"Okay, feel better Mommy!" Alice said, running out of the room and down the hall.

As she walked, she looked around as all the adults walked around, some stopping to smile and say good morning to her, her always flashing her pearly grin back and saying good morning back. The gray walls of the bunker were dull, but she didn't mind. The ragged stained clothes of the occupants of the bunker, the abundance of brown and gray throughout the walls and floors, the stark white ceiling with dim light bulbs swinging from them… she didn't have a lot of memory of color to compare it to, considering she had spent more than half her life in here. She had turned 9 in March, and she was told that they had been here for the past five years. She couldn't remember why they were down here, all her mother said was that the outside world wasn't safe.

"Alice!" came a high voice. Alice grinned, turning to hg her friend as he ran to her. David was the same age as her, a mop of brown hair covering the top of his head and falling over his brown eyes. His toothy grin lit up his face. "Hey, I found an old checkers board, do you wanna play?" he asked.

Alice nodded excitedly, grateful for something to do. He took her hand and led her to the main hall, a large room that looked like the inside of a shipping container. Main reason being that it _was_ the inside of a shipping container. The adults bustled about as David sat at the table, setting up the board and taking out a bag. "I couldn't find the pieces, so I went to the recycling area and they gave me some water bottle caps and soda bottle caps. Do you want soda or water caps?"

She sat down on the other side of the table, resting her chin on her hands. "I'll be water, please."

He nodded, setting the caps on the board as she watched. As he set up the game, her eyes wandered around the area. She smiled as she saw Sam sleeping at the end of the table. Everyone in the bunker said he was a bum, her daddy called him a greasy hobo jackass. But she liked him, he was always nice to her and David, and the other kids too. He always had candy with him, and he always shared, which was nice. Though he stared a lot, particularly at her and David, which was creepy sometimes. "Hey, Sammy!"

His head shot up, and he coughed as his piggy eyes roved the room to see who had called his name. He grinned when he saw Alice, he was missing a few yellow teeth. "Hey, Allie. Hey David. Watchu kids playin'?"

"I found a checker board." David answered, finally finishing. "Water bottle goes first."

She giggled, moving a piece forward. As David moved his piece, Alice spotted her father walking angrily towards their room. Uh oh. Her face fell, she knew mommy would be coming out soon, and she wasn't going to look good. She sighed, moving her piece, interest in the game lost.

Sam moved over to them, the stench of booze engulfing them. "Checkers, huh? Been a while since I played that. Never got the hang of that chess game."

"Chess is hard. "David said, frowning.

Sam nodded, then grinned. "Hey, I got sumtin' for you kiddies." He rummaged in his trench coat, pulling out a handful of wrapped candies. "Jolly Ranchers."

The kids' eyes lit up as he handed them each one, popping a green one in his own mouth. David closed his eyes, letting the tart taste travel across his tongue. Alice sucked on hers, the cherry flavor bursting over her taste buds.

She felt a figure loom over her, and she turned to see her father standing behind her. His hard green eyes pierced hers, his handlebar mustache twitching. But he had a weird smile on his face. "Come on, darlin'. We need to talk."

Sam glared at him. "And by talk, I'm guessing you mean take her to your room and give her another shiner?" he asked bitterly, a scowl showing beneath his graying beard.

Her father glared at Sam, and his fist shot out and gripped Sam's collar. "Watch it, hobo. I don't lay a finger on my family, I keep telling all you fuckers that."

Sam didn't answer, only slapping the hand away. "Yeah yeah, whatever." He grumbled.

Alice looked in fear at her father as he grabbed the back of her flowery shirt by force and dragged her back to the room. She looked back at the worried David, but she knew better than to try and resist. She just had to pray.

As they went down the hall, Matt watched in disgust from the main entryway's screen door. Everyone knew what that bastard did, but unfortunately neither the daughter nor mother spoke out against him, and he was the only one in the bunker who could keep the power generators running smoothly.

Then goose bumps shot up all over his skin. A knock clanged against the door, then another… another.

He slowly turned to look at it. The knocks came again, this time more frantic, and a muffled voice tried crying through. He moved cautiously over, and opened the sliding panel to look outside. He jumped back as a pair of terrified eyes stared back at him, and the woman tried sticking her fingers through the opening. "Please, you have to help me! They're coming! I-I don't want to die!"

Matt stood paralyzed. He wasn't supposed to open the door, not for anything. But… this woman looked terrified. No one had ever come to the door asking for help, or for anything, period. He took a shaky breath, and started undoing the locks. He slid the door open, and the woman fell inside, breathing ragged. "Th-thank… you…" she choked out, and then she coughed up blood. And Matt's eyes fell to the woman's shoulder. He had thought she was wearing a patterned shirt, but now he saw that the blouse she wore was white. And spots of red stemmed from her shoulder, which had a gaping wound in it. A bite mark.

He groaned, and panicked, started trying to shove the woman back out of the door. Then a groan hit his ears, and a monster flew in the door, tackling him. He screamed as the monster tore the flesh from his throat with its teeth, the walls staining crimson. As he died, he heard a chorus of moans and groans and growls as the zombie feasted on him, its companions shuffling inside after it. What had he done?

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Alice squealed as she was tossed in the room, her mother trembling in the corner. "Gary…" she pleaded.

"Shut up, bitch." He growled. He turned to Alice, taking out his belt and wrapping it around his fist. "Alright, darlin'. Where is it?"

Alice backed away, shaking. "Wh-where's what?"

Her dad put on a sickly sweet smile. "Honey, you know how Daddy gets when he doesn't get his drinks. My stash in the engine room is gone."

"I d-didn't take it…" she stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

"Well your mother didn't take it!" he shouted, anger exploding across his face. "She's not stupid enough to do it! And you're the only other one who knew about it!"

"I didn't t-take it, I s-swear!" she stammered, fear etched into her face.

Her father growled, raising his fist as her mommy screamed at him to stop, when someone else's screams were heard. Her dad stopped midswing, looking back at the door as more screams were heard. Her father bolted out the door, Alice following despite her mother yelling at her to come back.

She stopped and stared in horror, monsters were running around the bunker, skin gray and peeling, blood dripping from their jaws as they… Oh God they were eating people!

Guns went off, and Alice's father grabbed her arm and dragged her put of the way of a particularly fast monster that leapt for her. He was cursing, dragging her away from the horde of monsters.

A big, bulging one started walking towards them, growing bigger as it got closer. Alice screamed as her father pushed her towards it and ran in the opposite direction, and it loomed over her as the twitching increased.

Sam pulled her away as it exploded, blood and fluids staining the white ceiling and bone fragments flying everywhere.

Sam picked her up in his arms, hugging her close as he carried her to safety. "I grabbed David, we're going to hide out in my room." He whispered, barely able to be heard over the screams. Alice was part of the screaming, burying her face in his coat. They made it to his room, and David was already in there waiting. When he saw Alice, he hopped off the bed and latched onto her, crying with her.

Alice hugged him back, then turned to Sam, wiping her eyes. "D-did you see mommy? Or daddy?"

A somber look was on the old man's face. "I… I'm sorry, Allie. They're dead. They were caught up in the horde. I'm so sorry."

She didn't hear the last part of his answer, her mind latched onto the words, _They're dead._ It couldn't be true, Mommy and Dad couldn't die, they couldn't leave her alone.

She fell to the floor, dazed as she started to cry. David knelt with her, wrapping his arms around her and crying with her as Sam looked on.

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It felt like hours had passed, and there was still groaning throughout the bunker. Alice and David sat curled up in the corner as Sam walked back in, having gone to see if anyone had made it out alive. Alice was smart, she could tell by his face no one had.

Then a creepy smile came over his face as he sat down next to the kids. Alice rested her head against his shoulder, not noticing the grin, not realizing what he was doing as he slowly started rubbing her back. David was on the other side of him, and he started doing the same to him. "You kids wanna play a game?" he asked.

Alice shook her head, then perked up. Was that music she heard? It sounded like the music the Chef listened to while he cooked, ABCD? But she had seen him get bitten.

Her attention snapped back to the room as David gasped, Sam's hand had moved down, and he was grinning wide. "Five years, I haven't had the chance to indulge in life's pleasures for five years. Now," he said, chuckling. "Now there's no fear of consequences."

David squirmed as Sam kept a grip on his crotch, pulling the struggling Alice towards him. The music had gotten louder, then suddenly shut off as she screamed. "Sam, please! What are you doing?!" she cried.

He held her down, shoving David down next to her. "Taking what's mine." He said, a dark glint in his eyes. He slowly started lifting up Alice's skirt, and she started crying. Then they all froze at the sound of the doorknob jiggling. It stopped for a moment, then jiggled some more, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. Then nothing. Sam stared in fear the door, slowly getting up and walking over drawing his knife. He shakily opened the door, slowly, cautiously.

As soon as it opened, he jumped back as a shadowy figure stared out of the darkness of the hallway, a bright grin visible under crazed eyes. A gunshot sounded, and blood flowered across Sam's wife-beater shirt as he fell to the ground, gasping as he smacked his head against the bed. He looked up in fear as the man waked in, followed by a very large Doberman. He was tall, almost six and a half feet. He wore a shirt with red eyes and a toothy grin, _Disturbed_ scrawled across the front in red. Over this we wore a tough looking black leather jacket, with a satchel over that. He wore black biker chaps over black jeans, with military steel toed combat boots that clinked against the ground as he approached. His legs were loaded with a pistol holster and a couple knife sheaths, a katana scabbard slung across his back. His eyes were a dark brown, and had an evil, insane light to them, his wide grin unsettling and malicious. His short, brown ruffled hair was covered by a black fedora. He looked like a sinister version of Indiana Jones. "I heard what you were saying to those kids." He said softly, his grin never leaving, but rage in his eyes. "And I'll be honest, I didn't like it. No, no, not one bit." He said, kneeling to look Sam straight into his horrified eyes. "You know, people like you make me sick. And do you want to know what I do to people like you?"

Sam shook his head, unable to form any intelligible words. The man grabbed Sam, and hefted him up and tossed him against the wall. "I kill them." He stated plainly. "Shoot them, stab them, skin them, feed them to my dog." He went on, the dog licking its chops as it glared menacingly at Sam.

Sam raised his hands. "N-no! You got it all wrong, I wasn't touching them!"

"You touched David in his pee pee place and tried to take my skirt off!" Alice said angrily.

This threw the man into a rage. The grin gone, now only murder across his face as he grabbed Sam by the throat. "You fucking sick pedophile." He growled, choking Sam. "You'll suffer for this."

Sam scratched at the man's arm in desperation, but to no avail. "No, no please! I-I don't want to die!" he pleaded.

"Shut the fuck up! You deserve worse than death!" The man roared. "If those kids weren't here, I'd castrate you and feed your balls to the zombies." Sam choked at this. The grin returned, and the man drew his katana from its scabbard. It was sleek and black, with a silver dragon climbing up the flat of the blade, silver fire around it. He stood back, and put the tip under Sam's trembling chin. "I may do that anyway…" he mused to himself. He glanced at the terrified kids. "Nah." He said aloud. "I'll just turn you into a kebab."

Sam barely had time to scream as the man suddenly ran his sword through his chest, through his lung. He gasped in pain, wheezing as his lungs filled with his blood, and he started choking. Blood dribbled from the corners from his mouth, his eyes bugging out as he twitched. He fell still, his arms falling to the ground as a pool of blood slowly formed around him.

All the while Alice and David watched in horror at the murder, then squeaked as the man turned suddenly towards them, a spray of Sam's blood across his face as he wiped his sword's blade clean on the bed's blanket. He looked back at them, and his face transformed from homicidal and terrifying to warm and concerned in an instant. It was such a drastic change that Alice was caught off guard as David continued whimpering.

The man walked over to them, kneeling down to look at them eye level. "Are you two okay?" He asked, offering a warm smile. "He didn't hurt you?"

David had stopped crying and started just staring at the man, whereas Alice slowly detached from her friend and got closer to the man. He was warm and inviting now. "N-no, he just t-touched us…"

The man scowled at that. "Well, he got what was coming to him then." He said bitterly. Then the smile came back, but this time it was full of pity. "I'm guessing your bunker was overrun? You're the only survivors?"

David nodded, but Alice was more hopeful. "Did you see a lady? Orange hair like mine, blue eyes like mine, freckles and a bruised eye? She was my mommy."

The man's smile fell. "No, I'm sorry. I didn't see anything alive out there, it's a God damn blood bath out there."

Alice gasped. "You're not supposed to say that…"

The man raised an eyebrow, and then gave a small laugh. "I'm a bit vulgar, as you'll find out. Just a bad habit and I don't care enough to try and change it." He stood up, and offered his hands to the kids to help them up. The dog came over, sniffing the kids. Alice hesitantly reached out, and looked to the man for permission. He grinned. "Don't worry. He only bites bad guys. He loves kids."

She grinned, petting the dog, David joining her and scratching him behind the ears. The dog, in turn, growled in pleasure, his hind leg scratching at the floor as they hit the sweet spots.

Tristan chuckled, looking back at Sam's body. "Alright, this place is completely overrun. Let's get the hell out of here."

He heaved up Sam's body, dragging it out the door and leaving a blood trail. Alice and David followed apprensively, the dog running ahead to grab Sam's leg in his jaw and help carry him.

They reached the main hall, and Alice felt a painful pang in her chest. The dull steel walls she had come to know and become so acquainted with were painted crimson and marks and stains showed where bodies had been before they reanimated. At the moment, a group of zombies were huddled together in the center of the room. The man soundlessly pointed to some crates for the kids to hide behind. They complied, and the man drew a knife and jabbed it into Sam's skull, then soundlessly carried the body into the open. He set it down, then quickly snuck back to the boxes. He grabbed a fallen hunk of wood, and tossed it near the body. It hit the floor with a thud, and soon after zombies made their way over to start feasting on the corpse.

The man reached into his satchel, and pulled out something. "Cover your ears." He ordered, and after seeing the kids comply he pulled out a pin and rolled the thing over to the zombies. Alice realized it was a grenade right before it went off, limbs flying out of the explosion. The sound resounded through the bunker, and to the kids' horror the man pulled out an iPod and started blasting music. "Stay here." He said, grinning. He walked out into the open as groans drew near, tapping his foot to the beat. "Aw, yeah, I love this one!" He started dancing, mimicking a guitar in his arms as the lyrics starts, him singing aloud.

"Livin' easy! Livin' free. Season ticket on a one way ride!" Zombies began to pour into the room, attracted to the music. He drew his katana, not breaking tune as he decapitated the first zombie that got to him. and he drew his sword to decapitate it, not breaking song. "Askin' nothin', leave me be! Takin' everythin' in my stride!" Three more zombies reached him, he twirled behind them, slicing them up. "Don't need reason! Don't need rhyme! Ain't nothin' that I'd rather doooo! Goin' down, party time! My friends are gonna be there toooo, yeah." He drew a pistol and in the space of two seconds shot five zombies between their eyes. "I'm on the Hiiiiighway to Hell! On the Hiiiiighway to Hell! Hiiiiighway to Hell! I'm on the Hiiiiighway to Hell!" The entire time he sang he cut down zombies with his sword and shot them down, his dog joining in, tearing out throats and biting down on skulls. "No stop signs, speed limit! Nobody's gonna slow me down!"

David was watching in awe. Alice was wondering just what was wrong with the man. He was attracting all of the zombies throughout the bunker, singing and killing.

"Hey momma! Look at me! I'm on my way to the promised lannnd, yeah. I'm on the Hiiiiighway to Hell! On the Hiiiiighway to Hell! Hiiiiighway… oh, they're all dead." He remarked. He put out his hand, and his dog high fived him. He switched off the iPod, and walked over to the kids. The crazy look had once again been replaced by the soft look. "Alright, let's move."

As they walked towards the exit, David tugged his sleeve. "Why were you doing that? It brought all of the monsters to you."

"Exactly." He replied. "That way, I know I killed them all. True, it's dangerous and stupid, but it works wonders. Much like most things I do." They reached the exit. He started to open the door, then stopped. He turned to them. "Have you guys been down here since Z-day?" They stared at him in confusion. He smacked his head. "Right, you're bunkies. You don't know about all the new terms and how 'society' is now. Z-Day is what we outsiders call the day when these monsters showed up."

David nodded. "Yes, we've been in here for five years."

The man grinned. "Ready for your first breath of fresh air in five years?" They nodded excitedly, and the man opened the door. Instantly, they were hit by waves of bright light, colors, and smells. The blazing sun illuminated the pine trees, bright greens and reds and yellows, and a brilliant blue sky with white wisps running through it. The natural heat of the summer sun warmed their skin, so deprived of natural light for so long. As they stepped out, gravel and leaves crunched beneath their worn shoes, a breeze providing occasional breaks from the sun. It was glorious, they couldn't remember the outside world being so beautiful, they had been down there for so long. As they stared in awe as they followed the man, the bodies strewn along the roads escaping their attention, as did the overturned vehicles, houses overridden with vines and ivy, the years old blood stains painting the ground and walls, the overall destruction of the neighborhood. Alice spotted her old house down the street, it was one of the few sights she had retained in her young memory from before the days of the bunker. The canary yellow paint she had loved so much had faded, now a dull, close to white pale color, the paint peeling and the windows smashed from looters. She started noticing the bodies as a zombie impaled on the fence in front of her house growled at them. Suddenly she wanted to go back in the bunker.

David tugged her arm, pointing at a large RV the man had walked over to, though one could just barely tell it was an RV. With metal plating screwed on over the initial covering, a series of spikes and blades along the sides, and a cattle catcher from a train on the front, it looked more like a war machine. There was a machine turret on the top that added to that effect. He opened the door, and gestured inside. When Alice and David stepped in, they gasped. The inside was a stark contrast to the outside, which made it look like a tank. Inside, it looked homey, with a couch, bed, fridge, stove, bookshelf, even a TV with a DVD player. Alice recognized an Xbox underneath the TV, David had taken his into the bunker, but it had broken down nearly two years ago.

The man sat down on the couch, and his dog jumped up onto his lap. "So, introduction time. My name is Tristan. Supreme badass and enormous geek. I travel the ruins of our old society and kill zombies, and help people that need helped, like you kiddos." He said, grinning.

Alice sat down next to him, David on the other side. "I'm Alice, that's David. We went into that bunker on… what did you say? Z-Day?"

Tristan nodded, and gave a warm smile. "Yeah. Z-Day. Nice to meet you both." He stretched his arms, getting up and heading over to a couch set up in place of the driver's seat, starting up the vehicle. "Don't worry." He said, a shine to his eyes as he smiled at them. "I'll make sure you guys stay safe."

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	5. A Second Chance

Hello again! OC's in this chapter are Alec and Ryan, then Tristan, Alice, Ella from Hawk-eye-33, and Sakura from Gwendolyn Ayaka will be in the next chapter.

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Ryan pulled his head out from under the bright blue Mustang's hood, grime covering his tanned face. "There. Fixed." He announced, grinning as he shut the hood. The hood gleamed, having just been scrubbed the previous day, the white stripes shining bright against the electric blue of the car.

Rachel, his sister, clapped. "Impressive. That only took you, like, two minutes."

Ryan grinned with pride. "Alright, let's get moving again." He hopped into the driver's seat next to his sister, starting up the car again. They were siblings, but it was difficult to tell that by just looking at them. Ryan was nearly a foot taller than Rachel at 6'4", with sandy hair that hung down to his ears, while she had raven hair in a pixie cut. He was tanned, she was paler with a faint array of freckles going over the bridge of her nose. Ryan had electric blue eyes, Rachel had chocolate brown ones. He wore a black sports jacket over a grey T-Shirt, and olive cargo pants with a pair of combat boots. She wore a light grey hoodie over a white under shirt, and khaki pants. But despite their vast physical differences, they were closer than most siblings. They had traveled through Hell together all their lives after all.

As they sped down the road, Rachel busied herself with a list, going over their all supplies. She frowned at the paper, clearing her throat to get her brother's attention. "Hey, we're low on food and medicine."

"How are we on ammo?" He responded.

"We have an entire trunk full of it, we have way too much." She turned to look at her brother in exasperation. "Look, I get that it's the apocalypse, but we don't need all that ammo, we should trade it for food and medicine at the next town. We have five shotguns, neither of us uses those."

Ryan sighed. "Fine. I just like being prepared. You can't be too careful."

"Well we're not very prepared for hunger or infections. I hear there's a town in the city, in Times Square. A fair sized one, too. Let's head over there and trade." Rachel persuaded. She grinned. "I've always wanted to go to New York."

Ryan smirked, setting course for the city.

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They were closing in on Times Square. They had switched seats as soon as they had entered the city, letting Rachel focus on navigating the maze of abandoned cars while Ryan kept watch with his M4 to make sure no zombies got too close to the car.

Rachel stared in awe at the skyscrapers around them. Ryan had been there once as a kid, their uncle had taken him with him on a business trip while Rachel stayed home with their aunt. The shining beauty of them was almost enough to let her ignore the carnage surrounding them. The city, once one of the most famous cities in the world, packed with people on every corner, now reduced to a disturbing distortion of its former glory. Windows smashed, buildings boarded up, cars littering the streets and sidewalks. They drove past a taxi that had a zombie scrambling to get out from under the wheel, another staring off into space in the driver's seat, an old cigar hanging from its mouth. And as always, blood splattered everywhere, corpses strewn about as if they were merely clothes tossed on the floor.

The electric signs, the lights burned out long ago, let Ryan know they were approaching their destination. Times Square came into view, an impressive looking wall surrounding the area. At a closer look, Ryan saw that it was made from the backs of large trucks welded together.

They approached wall, Rachel stopping a few yards away and parking. After a minute of waiting, two men wearing black biker helmets vaulted over the wall, walking cautiously towards the car.

One hung back, making sure they saw the assault rifle in his arms, ready and trained on the car while the other walked up to the window. He was clad in all black, a leather jacket, a T-Shirt, jeans, and boots, even a pair of finger less gloves. He removed the biker helmet he had, a jet black mane of slick hair falling to his shoulders loose, icy blue eyes piercing Ryan. He smiled warmly at him, crossing his arms and leaning on the car. "How can I help you guys?"

Ryan leaned forward from the passenger seat, over Rachel and returned the smile. "We're here to see about possibly trading some weapons with you guys. We're a little overstocked for just the two of us, but we need medicine and food."

The man nodded, standing up straight again and motioning for Ryan to follow him. "Alright, let's see what you got."

Ryan followed the man around his car to the trunk. Once he popped it open, the man whistled. There were stacks of ammo boxes and a pile of guns. Ryan had moved the ones he wanted to keep to the backseat, a couple rifles and pistols, and his carbine along with ammo for each weapon. The man picked out a SPAS shotgun. "I think these are definitely worth some food and meds." He turned to his friend. "Gerald! Go get these two some food and meds! Say…" he glanced at the trunk again. "…one pack of meds and two boxes of food! Non perishables!" He turned back to Ryan. "Mind helping me carry these?"

Ryan nodded, and shoveled the ammo into a duffel bag, which he handed to Rachel. He and the man each grabbed an armload of guns, and they headed for the gates.

When they got beyond the gate, Ryan drew in a breath. The people here were incredibly well off. The walls appeared impenetrable, and there were multiple storage buildings, a huge commons area, and a large main building. It was the pinnacle of survival.

Some guys headed out to the mustang with boxes full of food and meds. Ryan set his guns next to the man's on a table outside of what he assumed was a weapons storage building.

Ryan shook hands with the man and turned towards the gate, when the man spoke up. "Hey, it's getting dark out. We welcome people to stay here in the town for temporary refuge. Why don't you two stay here overnight?"

Rachel grinned. "Sounds fine to me. What do you think Ry? Seems pretty homey here."

Ryan thought about it, and smiled. "Sure. We'll stay. By the way, name's Ryan. This is Rachel, my sister."

The man smiled back. "Nice to meet both of you. I'm Alec. Come on, I'll show you where we sleep."

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That night, the survivors lit a bonfire, brining out wooden sticks and fresh looking sausages to roast over the fire. Ryan took a plate from the long table, admiring the odd array of condiments available. The survivors didn't exactly have access to a fully stocked grocery store, so they improvised. Someone had baked trays of buns to place the sausage in, and they had old mustard and ketchup bottles all bunched together. They had a cooler full of beers, and people were cheering and laughing and singing.

He got his sausage, and went to stand by Rachel as she was roasting hers. He put his into the smoke over the fire, glancing at her. "Wonder where they got the sausage."

"They have a pen full of pigs, cows, and chickens. Goats too. It's on the other side of the compound." She said, smiling at him. "These people are doing pretty good for themselves."

Ryan nodded, looking back at his blackening sausage. It was a decent setup, it was a shame they couldn't stay. Rachel had asked, but they weren't accepting any permanent members. They had too many as it was.

Ryan took his dinner out of the fire, placing it in a bun and squirting some ketchup over it. He took a bite as he gazed around at the crowd, and he spotted Alec talking with a girl. The girl was shorter than him, a couple inches taller than Rachel. Ryan guessed around 5'8". She had black hair with blonde streaks, icy eyes, a nose piercing, and like Alec was wearing all black. They looked like siblings.

Ryan walked up, smiling at Alec. The girl grinned back at him, nudging Alec. He turned to see Ryan, and grinned, waving. "Hey. How are you liking it here?"

"You guys have a great thing going here." Ryan said, sitting down next to him. "Good walls, good food, good weapons, good people."

Alec nodded, looking around the area. "Yeah. Nathalie and I got lucky stumbling across here, back when they were eager to get new people in. Been here a little over a year."

The girl sighed, reaching across Alec's body to shake Ryan's hand. "Excuse my brother, formality isn't his strong suit. I'm Natalie, nice to meet you." She greeted warmly.

Ryan smiled, shaking her hand. "Ryan. Likewise."

Alec coughed into his hand, and Nathalie stuck her tongue out at him and drew her arm back so he could lean forward again. "Ryan's got a sister too. Speaking of which, where is Rachel?"

Ryan pointed over by the fire, starting to answer when he saw she wasn't there. The familiar panic that overcame him when he didn't know where she was rose in his chest, when a "Boo." sounded right next to his ear. He jumped, crying out as Rachel buckled over laughing, Alec and Natalie unable to prevent themselves from snickering. "Calm down, Jumpy." She teased, sliding into the seat next to him. "Rachel." She introduced, extending her hand. Alec and Natalie shook it, and Rachel not-so-discreetly looked Alec up and down. "Well, hello handsome." She flirted.

Alec blushed, and Natalie laughed. "You're wasting your time, sweetheart. He likes dick."

Alec turned in flustered outrage to his sister. "Nat!" he hissed.

She only laughed. "Well, did you want her flirting with you all night?"

Rachel joined Natalie in laughing. "Don't worry, I flirt with a lot of guys." She assured the embarrassed Alec.

"Much to my disapproval." Ryan muttered, earning a punch in the shoulder from his sister. He still smiled though. "so you said the two of you have been here a year? What exactly do you do?"

"Well, I used to be in charge of inventorying supplies," Alec started. "but that changed. Now I'm a guard for the front gate. Greet visitors and such. Nat here cooks."

She leaned forward again, drawing a groan from Alec. "I stuffed the sausages you're eating." She said, grinning.

Alec placed a hand against her forehead and shoved her back into her seat, Natalie blowing a raspberry. Someone called Alec's name, and he got up. "I'll be back." He said, running off to perform some duty.

Ryan finished his sausage, satisfied. "I'm going to get seconds." He announced, getting up and heading for the table. Rachel scooted next to Natalie so they could talk easier. "So, cook huh?"

"Yeah." Natalie said proudly. "Alec and I… we lived on the streets when we were younger. I learned to get creative with little ingredients." She boasted. "What about you? What did you do in the old world?"

"I was in Med School. I was hoping to become a surgeon." Rachel answered. "Unfortunately, the Apocalypse put those dreams on hold." She continued bitterly.

Natalie offered a sympathetic smile. "Well, at least you have medical training. You can never have enough doctors in this world."

"True." Rachel agreed.

Alec returned at the same time as Ryan. "I'm on guard duty from now until midnight." He informed them. He shook Ryan and Rachel's hands again, hugging his sister. "It was great meeting the two of you. See you around."

They waved goodbye as he headed for the wall, Natalie yawning soon after. "I'm heading to bed. Like he said, great meeting you guys." She said, smiling and hugging both of them. "Here's hoping we see you again soon."

"I wouldn't mind that." Ryan said, grinning. "Um, where do we go?"

Natalie pointed at a department store. "Guests stay in there. There's sleeping bags in different nooks." She said. She walked off towards another building, Ryan and Rachel heading for their own sleeping place for the night.

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The next morning, Ryan looked over their newly acquired supplies, inventorying them. Rachel skipped over to him, leaning on the hood of the car grinning. "Well, I gotta say that was a better night than I've had in a while."

"It certainly beats sleeping in the car with the seats down." He agreed.

Shouting reached their ears, and they turned to see a crowd forming, angry yelling emanating from it. The two siblings moved towards it in curiosity, and Rachel gasped when they spotted Alec, hands up in surrender and pale, Natalie hiding behind him. "Guys, look, just let me explain…" he pleaded.

"No explanation needed, you little rat." One man hissed.

"Kick them out on their asses!" A woman shouted, a roar of agreement following.

Alec was slowly backing away, until he was backed into a wall by the advancing crowd. Natalie stood by him, trying to look brave, but fear was evident in her eyes.

Ryan scowled, starting to push through the angry crowd, calling Alec's name. Then a gunshot sounded, and the crowd went silent.

A man, a large one, with military gear strapped on and an angry look in his eye, looked out at the crowd as he held a pistol over his head. "Everyone, back away." He commanded, and the crowd complied. Obviously this man held a position of power in the town. He turned to glare at Alec and Natalie, then he sighed. "Why?" was all he asked.

Alec fidgeted, wringing his hands nervously. "W-well, I… you s-see…"

The man huffed in irritation. "Never mind. Look, I was supposed to kick you out the first time. But, I showed you mercy. I let you stay, on the condition this wouldn't happen again. I'm sorry, you two, but I have no choice. You know the rules."

Alec said nothing, hanging his head in shame, unable to meet the man's eyes. "Yessir." He muttered, turning to go back in the building.

His shoulder was grabbed by the man, and he was pulled back. "No." he said shortly. "Valerie, go pack their things. You two wait by the gate." He ordered. He shoved Alec in the direction of the gate, Natalie being shoved by who Ryan and Rachel assumed to be Valerie. As she turned to go pack their things, the man grabbed her by the shoulder. "I know you're pissed, but take the high road. Don't take any of their things."

Valerie scowled, but nodded as she went into the building.

Ryan walked up to the man. "What happened?"

He rubbed his temples. "Alec was hoarding supplies for himself and his sister. 'Just in case' he says. He did this before ten months ago, and I thought he'd learned his lesson. Apparently not." He sighed, glancing at the two embarrassed siblings waiting by the gate. "Sad thing is, I don't think he can help it. Je just… feels the need to take care of himself and his sister. He doesn't trust others to help him. But, rules are rules. You steal, you get kicked out." He turned to him. "Look, if you're leaving you should do it soon. It's going to rain hard later today, and we need to make preparations, and we can't have people in the way. Not being rude, just telling you." He walked off. Alec and Natalie were receiving their luggage from Valerie, and Ryan saw him flinch as Valerie spat at him before walking away.

Rachel nudged Ryan as they passed towards the Mustang. "Why don't we take them with us?" Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Come on. All he did was steal something, and they're being shoved out there with virtually nothing."

Ryan scratched his head. "I don't know, Rach. We're barely scraping by ourselves…"

"And having more people would help us with that." She persuaded. "They'll add their skillset with ours, and honestly it gets kind of lonely with just us."

Ryan sighed. "Alright, let's go see."

They left the front gates, and Times Square closed itself off. They got in their car and drove, catching up with Alec and his sister, who had started walking.

"Hey!" Ryan called out, catching their attention. "You guys want to come with us?"

The sister grinned, but Alec looked apprehensive. "Why?"

Ryan shrugged. "It's dangerous out here without a vehicle, and you guys don't deserve to be out there naked. Besides, it would be nice to have more people than just Rachel and I."

Alec and his sister conversed, and they smiled at Ryan and Rachel. "We'd love to, thank you _so_ much." Alec said.

The two of them threw their luggage into the back, getting in the back seats. "We really appreciate this, thanks." Natalie said earnestly.

Rachel and Ryan both flashed them warm smiles. "No problem." They said in unison. They drove off, and out of the city.

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	6. A New Home

OC's in this chapter are Tristan, Ella, Alice, and Sakura. Next will be Ryan, Alec, and John by Mandalore the Freedom.

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Alice was sleeping in her bed, curled up next to mommy. She felt her mom shift, and she looked at her. She screamed. Her mom faced her, her face rotting and grey. The monster smiled. "What's wrong, Allie?" It asked. Maggots crawled out of her mouth. Alice screamed and fell off the bed, and into Sam's arms. He hugged her tight, and she looked up and he was rotting too. Alice screamed… screamed…

Alice jolted upright, tears streaming down her face. Sweat coated her body, her clothes were stifling hot. It took her a moment to remember she was in Tristan's bed next to David. He was sleeping peacefully, soft snores escaping his mouth. She shuddered, chill running up and down her spine, and climbed out from under the heavy sheets. She walked through the narrow space of the RV to the couch where Tristan was asleep, Diego lying on top of him. She reached out to tug his jacket when he opened an eye. "Nightmare?" He asked. She nodded. "Yeah, I've found a few bunkies in the past five years, they usually get those after leaving the bunker." He sat up, Diego yawning and rolling over onto the couch as Tristan stood up. He opened the fridge and pulled out some milk, then placed it in the microwave in a cup with a lid. He took it out after it beeped, and handed it to her. "Something that helped me with my nightmares after I returned from wars was warm milk.

She sipped it. "You were in the military?"

He grinned. "Navy SEALS. I was part of a special ops group, top secret. I don't recall how many confirmed kills I got, it was a couple hundred. Anyway, I had severe PTSD coming back, and I got frequent nightmares. This helped."

She sat down on the couch next to Diego. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up. "I dreamed about Mommy."

His grin was replaced by a sad face. "I know what you're going through. Everyone lost family to this plague."

Tears started coming again. "Does it get better?"

He was silent for a moment. "It hasn't for me. I wish I could say it was different." He sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulder. His leather gloves felt smooth. She started crying, and buried her face in his jacket. He let her cry, saying nothing, only rubbing her shoulder. She felt Diego lick tears from her cheek. She stayed there the rest of the night.

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When she woke up, she was leaning against Diego. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the RV. Tristan was at a stove, cooking something. Alice sniffed the air, and smelled sizzling meat.

David was exploring the RV, looking at everything. "How do you watch TV?" He asked, running his hands over the television set.

"I can't watch TV, there isn't a cable station or whatever to broadcast shows. I use it to watch movies, and if I can get a proper signal, netflix. I have a case of movies under the TV, in the drawer."

Alice walked up behind David as he opened it. There were movies she didn't recognize, like the Avengers, Dark Knight, Princess Bride, Indiana Jones, Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, Saw, Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, Deadpool, Iron Man, and a lot of others. But there were also ones she did recognize, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Princess and the Frog, Shrek, Frozen, Tangled, Brave, Mulan, Pocahontas, and a bunch of other Disney movies. "Why do you have so many Disney movies?" David asked. "You're an adult."

Tristan laughed. "Because Disney movies are fucking awesome." He replied. "Masterpieces. You'd be surprised how many adults enjoyed Disney movies before all this started." He pulled something out of the cabinet. "Except Cinderella, I hated that movie."

Alice gasped. "Why? I love Cinderella!"

"I never liked the story. I'll buy someone falling in love after one encounter, but Cinderella and the prince never even spoke. All they did was dance and BAM! Marriage. And the whole thing with the slipper was just ridiculous. He could have easily looked at the women of the kingdom and recognized her." He ranted. "The other Disney movies had plots that were actually understandable." He glanced at Alice's shocked expression. "Though, everyone's entitled to their preferences." He added. He looked back at the stove and grinned. "Breakfast!" He raised the pan and Alice and David gasped. In the pan was something they hadn't seen in years, a huge pile of bacon! "I've been saving this stuff for a special occasion, I think you kids deserve it." He took out two plates and frowned. "Huh." he said. "I'm used to it just being me and Diego." He grabbed two towels. "We can eat off of these." He separated the bacon into four piles. He put the larger two onto the plates. "Dig in." he said. He put the rest of the bacon on the towels, and placed one on the floor for Diego. Alice and David stuffed their faces, relishing the smoky bacon.

"This tastes even better than I remember!" David cried.

Tristan grinned. "I'm glad." He finished his, and threw the towel in the sink to be washed. Diego licked the grease off of his, and took the towel in his mouth and put it in the sink with Tristan's. Tristan got into the driver's couch in front of the steering wheel, and started up the car. He pressed some buttons, and a song came on. Alice listened as they ate, it was more rock music. Tristan started singing in a deep, scary sounding voice. "Another mission, the powers have called me away. Another time to carry the colors again! My motivation, an oath I've sworn to defend. To win the honor of coming back home again! No explanation will matter after we begin. Unlock the dark destroyer that's buried within. My true vocation, and now my unfortunate friend, you will discover a war you're unable to win! I'll have you know, that I've become, Indestructible! Determination that is incorruptible! From, the other side a terror to behold! Annihilation will be unavoidable. Every broken enemy will know! That their opponent had to be invincible! Take a last look around while you're alive. I'm an indestructible, master of waaaar!"

Alice got up, walking over and tugging his jacket's sleeve. "Can we listen to something else? I don't like this music."

He paused it, and thought. Then he smiled. He pressed some more buttons as he drove, and David and Alice grinned at what came on. Tristan belted out the first lyrics. "Make waaaaaay for Prince Aliiiiiiii! Say heeeeey it's Prince Aliiiiiiiii."

Alice and David joined him. "Hey clear the way in the ol' bazaar! Hey you! Let us through- it's a bright new star! Oh, come, be the first on your block to meet his eye! Make way! Here he comes! Ring bells! Bang the drums! Ah! You're gonna love this guy!"

Outside the RV, their singing was loud and clear as the vehicle barreled down the road. "Prince Ali! Fabulous he! Ali Ababwa! Genuflect! Show some respect! Down on one knee!"

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Tristan drove down a gravel path through some woods, their singing still audible. "Be our guest! Be our guest! Our command is your request! It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed! With your meal, with your ease! Yes indeed, we aim to please! While the candle light's still glowing let us help you, we'll keep going! Course by course, one by one. Til' you shout 'Enough, I'm done!' Then we'll sing you off as you digest! Tonight you'll prop your feet up, but for now let's eat up! Be our guest, be our guest! Be our guest, please beeee ooouuur gueeeeeessst!" The song ended, and Tristan switched off the radio, sighing. "Ah, that was fun." He said, smiling.

"Can we do another one?" Alice asked.

He smiled. "I'd like to, but we need to make sure you guys get in here ok." He said.

Alice and David frowned. "In where?" David asked.

Tristan pulled up in front of a large wooden fence. "In this town. You guys will like it here, I've taken other bunkies here before. It's safe, plenty of food, and nice people."

"Are you coming with us?" Alice asked.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "No, why?"

Their jaws dropped in shock. "You mean, you're leaving us?!"

"Well, yeah." He said. "This is what I do. I take people out of dangerous situations and take them to safe towns like this one. The outside world is too dangerous for kids."

Tears started forming in their eyes. "But we don't _want_ to leave! We want to stay with you!" Alice cried.

"Yeah, you're cool! And you're awesome at killing those monsters!" added David.

Tristan's eyes darted back and forth between them. "Guys, keeping you with me would be irresponsible. I can't…"

"But we like you!" Alice interrupted. "What if we don't like anyone there?"

"We'll be good, we promise!" David said.

They looked at Tristan with pleading eyes. He opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. He looked between them and the fence of the town, thinking. "This is a bad idea." He muttered. He sighed, and stared at them. "I have some rules. Strict ones."

Alice and David nodded eagerly.

"Now, when I say strict, I mean you are not to disobey at all. It can cost you your life. Rule one: Always do exactly what I say when I say it. If I tell you to run away, you run. If I tell you to jump, you ask how high. Rule two: You guys have to learn how to defend yourselves. You may not like the training, but you have to learn if you're going to stay with me. Rule three: If you _ever_ feel unsafe with me, or change your minds, tell me. My feelings won't be hurt, and I'll drive you straight to the nearest safe town. Rule four: Don't trust anyone but me, unless I say they're good. There are a lot of bad people who seem like good people right up until they stab you in the back. Literally. Rule five: There will be tough times, times where we won't have food, times where we're stuck in a closet for hours because there's a horde of zombies outside, times where we feel bitter and angry at everything. No matter what happens, we stick together. Rule six: I reserve the right to make up new rules as we go along, because I've never done this before." He drew in a breath. "And rule seven goes along with rule one, but it's very important." He looked them in the eye. "If I get bitten, I will tell you to kill me. And no matter how much you don't want to, no matter how much you cry, you _must_ do it. Because there's no way in hell I'm letting myself become a zombie. Is all that clear?" They nodded, apprehensive about the last rule. "Was really hoping you'd say no, but alright." He sighed again. "Last chance for now, guys. This is a good town, I know you'd like it here."

"We want to stay with you." Alice said with determination.

He nodded. "Then let's get you guys some weapons."

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The zombies tore apart the dear, gorging themselves on its flesh. Blood dripped from their mouths as they devoured the meat. Then one fell over into the carcass, a crossbow bolt embedded in its head. The zombies ignored it and continued eating, but after another bolt struck down another, and then another. The remaining one tried clawing at the bodies of its companions to get to get back to the meat, when it was decapitated. The woman standing behind it retrieved her bolts and slung her crossbow back over her shoulder, sheathing her katana. Her ruby red hair glistened in the sun, the gold strands in it adding a golden glimmer. Her emerald eyes roved up and down the street, scanning for danger. She stood at just under six feet, and her tan skin seemed to glow, her almond shaped eyes narrowing as she determined it was clear. A black crop top covered her chest, ending just under her breasts, comfortable and good for a hot day like today. Her jeans were covered in equipment: a gun holster, knife sheath on her thigh, a quiver for her bolts strapped to her belt, and a canteen hanging from the belt she wore. A katana sheath was slung across her back, the red cloth on the handle matching her hair. Along with it was the strap that she had her crossbow on. She gazed up and down the street, and spotted their destination. She called to the bushes. "Aaron, let's go. Gun store's down this way."

A short, portly man crept out from the bushes, pushing up his glasses. "Great work on those zombies, Sakura!" he said, grinning. He was nervous, sweat glistening on top of his balding head and staining his bright blue polo shirt.

Sakura didn't hear him, she was looking at an RV in front of the gun store. It was running, and was exactly the kind of vehicle bandits used. Armored, gun turret on the top, lots of space for loot. She drew her crossbow again, and crept along the buildings to the store. The door was open, and she slinked through. Aaron stayed outside, whispering that he'd keep watch. Sakura crept along the aisles, and saw a man in a leather jacket and fedora looking through ammo cases. She started toward him when he spoke, "Stealth isn't your strong suit, is it?" He asked. She froze. "Nor is observing your surroundings." He added. She was knocked to the floor by a large dog, which growled at her as she was pinned. She kicked the dog off and stood up, coming face to face with the end of a pistol. "Crossbow, knife, gun, sword, floor. Now."

She glared at the man, and obliged. He backed away, the barrel of the pistol never budging. The man looked her up and down. "You don't seem like a bandit." He observed. "And you're not giving off that asshole vibe." He stared at her for a few seconds, then holstered his pistol. "So, scavenger?" He asked.

She hesitated, and then nodded. "I thought you might be a bandit."

An unnerving grin spread across his face. "Oh, no, you should see what I do to bandits." He said. "Nah. I'm a good guy." A strange look came over his face, and he rubbed his chin. "Well, maybe not a _good_ guy… more like a neutral guy who does bad things to worse people." He went back to the shelf, and selected a case. "Take whatever, I just came in here for a few things." He threw the case into a bag and walked to the doors. Sakura watched as he walked out, barely remembering that Aaron was standing guard outside. She raised her hand, starting to call out to warn him when Aaron came around the corner with a log in his hands, aiming for the man's head. The man dodges, time seeming to slow down as he turned around and got behind Aaron, catching the log with one hand, ripping it from Aaron's hands before putting him in a headlock. She ran outside to see the man twisting Aaron's arm, who was crying out in pain. She grabbed him and shoved him away. "Back off, he's my friend." She said.

He smiled, unfazed. "Alright, well, tell your friend to watch who he attacks." He turned and walked to the RV. "Alice, David, I got you some weapons." He called out. Shock spread over Sakura's face as two kids ran out. Aaron stood up, glaring at the man. "Asshole nearly broke my arm." He muttered. "Come on Sakura, let's go."

She held up a hand. "Go into the store and get what we need. I want to talk to this guy."

He looked like he was going to argue, then grumbled as he went into the store. The man was showing the kids how to hold the guns, and as she drew closer she heard him say, "And always keep your finger off the trigger unless you're going to fire. Don't want to accidentally shoot someone." He glanced at her, and faced her. "I don't believe I introduced myself. Tristan." He said, extending his hand.

She hesitated, then shook it. "Sakura." She smirked. "I was half expecting you to say Indiana Jones."

He grinned. "Not too many people see that."

"So you dress like that on purpose?" She asked.

"Well aside from being it comfortable and functional, Indiana Jones is a badass. So yeah, I try to look like him." He replied.

She glanced at the kids. "Not often you see kids out in the ruin." She commented.

He nodded and whispered to her as the kids admired the weapons. "They're bunkies. Their bunker got overrun, lost their parents. I happened to be searching it after it happened, and saved them from some creepy old guy who was trying to molest them."

Sakura had a disgusted face. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Anyway, I'm taking care of them now. Figured they need to learn how to shoot."

Aaron came out of the store. "Alright, Sakura. I got what we need. Can we go?" He asked, clearly irritated at the prolonged contact with the man who had humiliated him.

Sakura nodded to him, and turned to Tristan. "Well, it was nice seeing a friendly face out here. Good luck."

Tristan smiled and nodded, then his eyes went wide. Faintly, they could hear heavy stomping. They both paled as they recognized the sound. "Tank." He whispered. He turned to the kids. "Get in the RV. Now."

They complied, and he turned to Aaron and Sakura. "Do you guys have a vehicle? We can give you a ride."

She nodded, and motioned for Aaron to follow her. As they closed the door, the stomping was growing louder and faster. The girl, Alice, tugged Tristan's sleeve. "What's a tank?"

"Hopefully you won't have to find out today." He replied. He hit the gas, and they sped away. Sakura looked out the back window, and saw a huge figure round a corner and stare as they sped away.

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"Up here." Sakura directed. She was sitting next to Tristan on the driver's couch, giving directions to their town. Aaron was sitting on the other couch with an annoyed expression, ignoring the kids who tried asking him questions about the town.

Alice walked up to the couch, leaning forward to talk to Sakura. "Do you like Disney movies?" She asked.

Sakura smiled. "I love them. My favorite used to be the Little Mermaid."

Alice grinned and grabbed her hand, leading her over to the movie cabinet. "Look how many Tristan has!"

Aaron scoffed. "An adult watching kid's movies?" He sneered.

Sakura's mouth hung open as Alice pulled open the drawer. "Wow. You _do_ have a lot." She said. She picked up Little Mermaid. Her eyes ran over the titles, and one of her favorites seemed to be missing. "How come you don't have Cinderella?"

"Tristan doesn't like Cinderella, can you believe it?" Alice asked.

She turned to him in surprise, gasping. "You don't like Cinderella?!"

He groaned. "Every time I tell someone that they act like I just shot a kitten. I just think the story and plot are stupid, that's all."

She scoffed. "Well _I_ love Cinderella." She remarked. She looked at the other selections, cringing. "You have movies like Saw mixed in with movies like Snow White."

"Yep." He replied. "Cause I like them all. Where to now?"

She looked out the window. "Take a left and follow the path." She watched as he pulled the turn, and her nose crinkled as she started smelling smoke. Then she paled as they approached the gate, smoke rising up over the top. Her town was in flames. "Oh my God." She breathed. Tristan pulled up to the gates and ran to the back of the RV as Sakura ran out and through the gates. Her people were lying dead, and then turning. A runner ran up to her, and she drew her sword and sliced off its head. Then a group of men rounded the corner, pulling carts of supplies. Bandits.

"Oooooh, hey there, hot stuff." One called, cackling as they spotted her. The others started whistling. "Damn girl, you're looking fine!"

She scowled, drawing her gun to dual wield it and her sword.

They pulled out their guns and advanced towards her, still cackling. Sakura gripped her sword in one hand, her pistol in the other. Aaron ran in, yelped, and ran away again. The bandits started firing, and Sakura ran behind cover. She peeked out and fired six wild shots, one hitting a bandit in the head, another in the leg of another.

The bandits all ran to her, and grinned maliciously. They aimed their weapons, Sakura was surrounded. She kicked one in the balls, and slashed the throat of another, and dodged and rolled away to avoid the gunfire. One of them grabbed her from behind, and she twisted and flipped the guy on his back and shot his head. A zombie lunged at her, and she grabbed it and threw it onto a bandit, blood spraying as it tore out his neck.

There were still a bunch of them left, and zombies everywhere. Sakura backed away, and then two bandits standing next to each other fell to the ground suddenly, a single bullet having passed through their heads. Another fell, then another as they scrambled for cover. Sakura looked at the entrance, and Tristan was standing there with a sniper rifle. He slung it over his back, and took a DMR out. He ran up to Sakura, and they ducked behind cover as the remaining bandits fired at them. A spitter waddled over to them, acid dripping from it's mouth. It spat, and Tristan and Sakura scrambled away. Tristan ran up and decapitated it, then threw the head at a bandit, acid slinging through the air. It smacked the bandit in the face, and he screamed as his face started dissolving. Sakura zig zagged across to a bandit who tried unsuccessfully to shoot her, and shot his chest and then his face. Tristan was preoccupied with a group of zombies, and didn't see a runner dashing towards him. Sakura aimed, and fired, blood spraying as Tristan jumped when the runner fell dead next to him. He nodded thanks to Sakura, and took down the rest of the zombies in front of him.

There were seven bandits left, and they took off for the entrance. Tristan and Sakura aimed their pistols, and each took down one. The last five disappeared past the gates, and then one cried out in pain. Sakura and Tristan ran over, and Diego was sitting next to a gurgling bandit, whose throat was missing, and a bloody muzzle. He was sitting on top of another bandit, pinning him.

Tristan scratched his ear, then grabbed the bandit and shoved him against a wall. He took his sword and went over to a zombie crawling on the ground, and stabbed it's chest, nailing it to the ground with the blade. He grabbed the bandit, pinned his arms, and shoved his face to just a foot away from the snarling zombie. "Where did your friends go?" He demanded.

The man shook his head, and Tristan moved his face closer to the zombie's biting mouth. "Tell, me, or you're not going to have a face anymore!" He snarled.

The bandit went wide eyed with fear. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you! Just don't kill me! Along the highway, near the cross section there's a path through the woods, it leads to our camp."

Tristan shoved his face even closer. "How many of you are there? And don't you _dare_ lie to me."

"There's 10 of us left!" he cried. "I'm not lying, I swear!"

Tristan held him there for a moment, then smiled. "Thanks for your help." He said. Then he removed his sword and the zombie jumped on the bandit, the man screaming in pain. Tristan watched until he stopped screaming, then stabbed his and the zombie's head. He turned to look at Sakura, who was kneeling in front of the gate, watching the fire spread across her home. He walked over. "I'm sorry." He said.

Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "They're all… gone. Everything… just… gone."

Tristan sat down beside her. "We're going to find those bastards and make them pay." He said. He faced her. "I can give you two a ride to the next town, or if you want you can stay with me and the kids."

Sakura nodded, half listening. "Sure, that's fine."

Tristan watched the fire with her, then stood up and offered his hand. Sakura gratefully took it and stood up. "Let's go kill those S.O.B's."

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Ella Hawthorne snuck through the woods, humming to herself as her dog trotted along beside her. Her ebony hair, contrasting her milky skin, was pushed back behind her ears, save for a few strands falling over her eyes, her piercing green eyes keeping a sharp lookout for what she sought. Her combat boots made more noise than she'd like against the forest ground, but it wasn't too bad. Her skinny jeans hugged her lower body, a pistol holster strapped to her right leg, and her blue jacket was wrapped tightly around her red shirt. A knife stuck out of her left boot, and a pair of binoculars hung from around her neck.

After a few minutes, she spotted the camp through a thicket. She took out her binoculars, and nodded in affirmation to herself. These were the bandits that took her car. Her brother Dave's 67 Impala was parked over with some other vehicles. Five more of them ran into the camp, looking bloody and out of breath. Ella couldn't hear what they were saying, nor did she care. She just wanted her car back. She motioned to Corporal, her German Shepard, and they crept down the hill out of sight.

They snuck along the fence. Ella could hear snippets of what they were saying. "Sniper… zombies… Asian chick… crazy guy… almost killed us…"

Ella ignored them, and got to the car. The tried the handle, it was locked. She cursed, one of the guys must have the keys. She peeked over the fence, and the bandits were loading their weapons. They looked like they were preparing for battle. Then she heard a gunshot, and one of them fell to the ground. "Oh my God, they're here!" one cried. They all scrambled for cover, and another bandit fell dead at a second gunshot. A woman with red and gold hair ran out of the woods with a man who looked strangely like Indiana Jones. He had a DMR, and kneeled and fired, taking down another bandit. Then Ella got grabbed from behind and led into the battlefield with a gun to her head. "One of your friends?!" The bandit angrily asked. The man and woman stopped shooting. Ella held her breath, not wanting to piss off the bandit. Then Corporal lunged out of nowhere and tackled the man. She whipped around, drew her pistol, and put a bullet in the man's head. She and Corporal ran to the man and woman. The man had a huge Doberman with him, and Corporal tried sniffing him.

"You ok?" The woman asked.

Ella nodded. "So these guys steal something of yours too?"

The woman scowled. "They burned my town and killed everyone in it." She growled.

Ella made a sympathetic face. "Sorry, I didn't…"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, it's _them_ I'm pissed at."

The man reloaded his gun. "Can we chat later? We have to gut these assholes." He growled.

The woman nodded, and drew a sword. He did the same, and they ran out from behind cover. Ella rose behind and aimed her pistol, giving suppressing fire as they ran to the last of the bandits. The man reached out and grabbed one, throwing him to the ground and stabbing his face. He whipped around and decapitated another, the woman stabbed a bandit who tried shooting the man. Two bandits snuck up on Ella, and she shot one, then cried out in pain as the other shot her leg three times. She fell to the ground, and then rolled away and shot the man's chest.

One was left, and he raised his hands in surrender. The man laughed. "Nice try, asshole." He said. He grabbed the bandit and stabbed his chest.

He and the woman ran over and tried helping Ella to her feet, when she hissed in pain. She couldn't walk, or even stand. The man picked her up, and carried her to the woods. She let herself be carried, trying to no avail to ignore the pain. They arrived at an RV, and she was carried inside and placed on a couch.

The man went to the back of the RV, and the woman said something to a short, fat guy. The guy looked angry, and left. The woman sat down next to Ella. "Aaron is going to go get your car. By the way, I'm Sakura. The guy back there is Tristan."

Tristan came back with a white box. He kneeled in front of Ella, and took out some tweezers. "I won't lie, this is gonna hurt like hell, but I have to get those bullets out so your leg can heal properly."

Ella paled. "You, uh… Know what you're doing?"

"Kind of." he said as he sanitized the tweezers. "I'm in no way a medical expert, but I've extracted bullets before. Just relax, and try not to squirm."

 _That's reassuring._ Ella thought to herself, but she bit her lip. Tristan inserted the tweezers, and dug into her wound. She drew blood on her lip trying not to scream. She felt him get a hold of something, and he slowly slid out the bullet. He dropped it on the ground, and put the tweezers into the next hole. Ella gripped the edge of the couch, clenching her teeth. She hissed as he slid out the second bullet, and he reinserted the tweezers. "Last one." He said. He dug, and pulled, but he met resistance. He frowned, and wiggled the tweezers a little bit, drawing a sharp breath from Ella. "Hang on, I think it's lodged in the bone." He said he dug in the box, and pulled out a small flashlight. He peered into the hole, and grimaced. "Alright, I can get it out, but I have to pull. Hard. Ready?" He asked. Ella nodded, and he tugged. Ella cried out, and he pulled at the bullet. It finally popped out, and he dropped it next to the others. "There. Done." He said. He replaced the tweezers in the box, and pulled out a bottle and gauze, and handed them to Sakura. "Soak a cloth in the disinfectant, and clean out her wound. Then wrap it all up in gauze."

Sakura took it. "Why can't you do it?"

He stood up. "You'll need to take her pants off to clean and wrap it properly, and I'd rather respect her privacy." He turned to David. "You too, buddy." David followed him outside, and shut the door.

Sakura eased Ella's pants down while Alice watched, and started cleaning. "Well, it's nice to see there are still gentlemen in this world." She remarked.

Ella nodded. "Thanks, to you both. I'll get out of your hair as soon as we finish here."

Sakura shook her head. "Not happening. You'll stay with us till you heal."

Ella grimaced. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"You won't." Sakura assured her. "Tristan has apparently done this a lot, taking care of people while they heal from injuries. My town did the same thing, I've lost count of how many injured people I've carried through our gate." Sakura finished wrapping the wound up, and pulled Ella's pants back up. "Alice, go tell the boys they can come back in."

Alice hopped off the bed and went to get them. Sakura leaned back against the wall and sighed. Tristan walked into the RV and went to the fridge. "Anyone want anything?" He asked.

Ella thought. "Do you have any juice?"

He pulled out a fruit punch juice box and tossed it to her. He grabbed himself one, and gave two to Alice and David. He sat on the floor next to Sakura. "Well, I don't know what we're going to do about sleeping arrangements, but you're all welcome to stay here."

Aaron grumbled, but Sakura and Ella nodded their thanks. Ella closed her eyes, and let herself drift off to sleep on the couch.

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Review! John by Mandalore the Freedom and Ryan will be next!


	7. Intimidating Friends

Hello. I'm having John by Mandalore the freedom meet up with Alec and Ryan, then next chapter will see James by bruno14 will join Tristan, Alice, and Sakura in the next chapter along with McKenna Adams from Alphawolf19. After that, THE MERGE.

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Ryan walked out of the woods with Alec, each carrying a sack of deer and squirrels. They walked over to the camp they had set up, where Natalie and Rachel were chatting. Over the past few days, the two girls had become good friends, seeing as neither of them had a lot of social interaction.

They set the sacks by the mustang, and walked over to the girls. "Did you guys set up the fire?" Ryan asked.

Rachel answered by standing up, walking over to the pit, lighting a match, and dropping it in. A few seconds later, flames crawled up the logs, the fire getting larger. Ryan grinned and took some meat and placed it in a skillet to grill. He nestled the skillet over the fire, and sat down to watch the fire grow.

They ate the meat and talked about their plans. "We should try staying in a town." Alec said as he swallowed his venison. "They're usually safe and secure, and there's strength in numbers."

Ryan shook his head. "Towns can fall easily. And eventually you need to relocate anyway once you've run out of resources."

Alec considered this. "I guess." He replied. "So what, we just wander our whole lives?"

Ryan nodded. "Better chance of surviving that way. And who knows. Maybe we'll find somewhere we _do_ like, a town that won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Just play it by year."

"Isn't the saying, 'Play it by ear?'" Rachel asked.

Alec shook his head. "No, I think he's right. Ear doesn't make any sense."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Makes more sense than year. Play it by ear, improvise, play your instrument by listening to it. It does make sense."

"But play it by year makes more sense. You'll play it as it comes along, focus on this year then focus on the next." Ryan argued.

"Who the hell measures time by years in that situation? Days, or even weeks would make sense, but a whole year?" Rachel interjected.

They argued for a few more minutes, when Alec started laughing, and then the others followed suit. They were having such an inane argument.

Eventually Rachel passed out from exhaustion, and Ryan carried her to the tent. Natalie felt sleepy, so she went to join her.

It was just Alec and Ryan then. They gazed at the stars above. Probably the only good thing to come out of the apocalypse was that nature had started to reclaim itself. Pollution had cleared away a lot, vines had overtaken buildings, the skies were clearer. And the stars were visible and beautiful.

Ryan stretched. "I'm going to go for a walk, I can't sleep."

Alec stood up. "I'll come with you."

They walked into the woods, following the path. Alec walked next to Ryan, watching the animals run around. "So." Ryan said, trying to start a conversation. "Where are you from?"

"Nat and I lived in New York all our lives. When the apocalypse hit we moved out of the city since it was crawling with the dead. A little over two years ago we heard about Times Square and went back. We'd lived on the streets our whole lives, so we were good for scavenging. Even today there's still a crap ton of supplies hiding in shops and homes, ripe for picking." Alec answered. "How about you?"

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "New Jersey." was all he said. Alec frowned, but didn't push. "Hey, I gotta ask, and you don't have to answer, but… What was with the whole theft thing? You had a good thing going."

"I was just putting my and my sister's best interests first. You never know when things may head south." Alec answered.

Ryan nodded, falling back into silence. After another minute Alec stretched. "Well, I'm tired. I'm gonna head back, will you be okay out here?"

As he turned, Ryan stopped him. "Hang on, I'll give you the keys to the car. We still need to get another tent, you and I will need to sleep in there tonight."

Alec, strangely, went slightly pale. "I, uh, I think it's already unlocked." He said.

Ryan shook his head. "I always lock it just in case. Just let me… find them…" He rummaged in his pockets, he couldn't find the keys. He looked up to see Alec briskly walking away, and he realized where the keys were. "Hey, HEY! Alec!" He took off after him, Alec breaking into a sprint. He was fast, very fast, Ryan was falling beind. Ryan remembered that the path curved up ahead and ran into the trees to cut him off. He neared the path, and saw Alec heading towards his position, as soon as he ran by, Ryan tackled him, the two of them sent sprawling. He stood up and placed his foot on Alec's chest, pinning him to the ground. Alec kicked out, hitting his stomach. Ryan doubled over, and Alec scrambled to his feet. Ryan got up and grabbed his leg as he started to run, and Alec fell face first into the dirt. Ryan crawled on top of him and pinned him down, then felt around Alec's pockets until he found the key.

He got off of Alec, who rolled over and glared at Ryan. Ryan glared back. "What the fuck were you thinking?!" he demanded.

Alec kept glaring. "Trying to keep myself and my sister alive." He answered. "You can't trust other people, and this is how we survive." He said.

"You got balls talking about trust to a man you just stole from." Ryan retorted. Then his eyes softened. "Look, that was a dick move, but I understand."

Alec bared his teeth. "No, you don't. You can't understand. My entire life, the two of us have…"

"Lived on the streets, poor, unable to provide for yourselves?" He interjected. "I understand better than you think. Rachel and I have been living on our own since we were 16. We've had to fend for ourselves." He said. "I know the look in your eye, it's the same one Rachel and i have, the look of someone who is distrusting and fearful of losing their family."

Alec opened his mouth, then closed it. "Sorry." He said. "It's just… this is who I am. I thief who doesn't trust anyone but his sister, and survives off of other's supplies." he said. "Pathetic, maybe, but it's how _we've_ been doing it since we were 14."

Ryan nodded. "I understand." He got off of Alec. "Listen, you and Natalie both seem like nice people. I'll forgive this, but try to trust us. I'd like it if we stayed a team. Can you do that?" He asked.

Alec was dumbfounded. No one had ever forgiven him for his crimes. He smiled, and nodded. "Ok, I'll try."

Ryan helped him up, and they headed back to camp. Natalie was outside the tent, and looked up and shock played across her face when she saw Ryan. The shock was replaced by a smile, and she went back in the tent for the night. Alec and Ryan got in the car and went off to sleep.

The next morning, they packed up, ate a quick breakfast and hit the road again. Ryan and Rachel sat up front, Natalie got in the back with her brother.

As they drove, Natalie leaned in to Alec. "Not that I'm complaining, in fact just the opposite," she whispered, "but why didn't we take off like you said?"

Alec stared at the backs of their companions' heads. "I don't know." He said after a while. "I just… got a good feeling this time."

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As night fell, Ryan drove them into a neighborhood, and stopped at a house that looked safe. Safe enough to stay the night at least.

They got out of the car, and Alec walked to the front door. He knelt down and picked the lock expertly in five seconds flat. They kept their weapons raised as they stepped through the house, searching it for zombies. After about ten minutes they gathered in the living room, and set up for the night. Rachel was delighted to find that the gas stove in the kitchen was still working, and went to work on making them dinner with what they had.

As she served the food, a soup she had made out of the dried meat they had, they talked in the living room about their old lives. Alec confessed to his and Natalie's past as thieves, and how they lived on the streets. Natalie briefly mentioned their father, how he had died when they were younger. Ryan talked about his and Rachel's lives on their own, but neither of them talked about family. In fact they both seemed to avoid the subject.

They laughed and talked through the night. Alec didn't say it out loud, but he was thrilled he decided to stay with them. Maybe he and Nat could finally be happy somewhere. He felt like something was missing, though, he couldn't say what. Maybe the group was too small? He ignored the feeling.

The next morning, they hit the road again. They were going down the highway, when Ryan slammed on the brakes, his face pale. The others hadn't been paying attention, and Natalie let out a small scream when they saw the road ahead.

The entire highway was packed with zombies. Boomers, spitters, runners, countless zombies. Ryan scanned the horde for a tank, and let out a sigh of relief when he saw none. The massive horde hadn't seen them yet. Ryan slowly backed the car up, until the horde was out of sight. Everyone collectively exhaled, they had been holding their breath.

"What now?" Rachel asked. "The highway is completely covered, and we need to go that way if we want to get to Atlanta."

Ryan was thinking, as was Alec. Then they heard gunshots. They drove back a little to see what was going on. Some kind of military vehicle had turned a corner and went right into the horde. The armored vehicle was getting surrounded, and someone was operating a machine gun on top. Ryan gripped the steering wheel and turned to the others. "Alec, Rachel, grab a gun. Natalie, take over driving."

"Actually, Nat's a better shot than I am. I'll drive." Alec replied. He and Ryan swapped seats, and Ryan and the girls grabbed their guns. Alec gripped the steering wheel, and drove for the horde. Ryan had had his M4, Rachel her AW-50, Natalie operating the machine gun turret Ryan had crafted into the car.

They opened fire, clearing a path to the vehicle. The gunner was a woman, and she waved a thank you to the group, and continued firing. Three more people got out of the vehicle, the apparent leader a tall man with a nasty looking scar running across his face. They opened fire, the eight of them gunning down the horde.

They kept coming, but eventually they cleared a straight path to the end o the horde. The tall man jumped into the vehicle, and drove through the path, Alec following. They made it past, and drove away.

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After they were safely away, both parties exited their vehicles. The group from the armored vehicle, an APC, looked like a band of mercenaries. The first man was of average height and build, red hair, blue eyes, and an old S.W.A.T. set of armor over his body, and pale skin. His name was Josh. The single woman in the group was also the shortest, a little over five feet. But she also looked to be one of the toughest, her dirt blonde hair pulled back in a single long braid that fell over the shoulder of her muscle shirt, a pair of cargo pants utfited with ammo clips around her legs, a pistol in a holster hanging by a tough looking belt, a strap connecting to an assault rifle hanging around her torso with a knife along the strap. A military USMC cap fit snugly on her head, and her playful but hard blue eyes examined Ryan and his group, her tanned skin glistening with sweat. She may have been the shortest, but they all knew immediately it would be a mistake to screw with her.

Ryan got the feeling the last two were brothers. Same pale skin, same jet black hair, same green eyes with a hazel tint. But the similarities stopped there. John was nearly a foot taller than Connor, standing at what Ryan guessed around six and a half feet, with a nasty looking jagged scar running from the right top of his forehead to the left side of his lower cheek, cutting diagonally across his nose and barely missing his eye. And while Connor seemed relaxed and happy to see new faces, John looked cold and calculating, a mistrustful look in his eyes. John wore a brown jacket with a wrestling shirt underneath, and a leather strap traveling across his chest holding shotgun shells, a knife, and a shotgun attached to the back. His military padded pants held assault rifle clips, a revolver in a holster, and a second knife. A tomahawk hung from his belt clip, and combat boots stood firm on the ground as he sized up the people in front of him.

Ryan and the others introduced themselves. "So, are you guys soldiers?" Alec asked. "You guys kinda look the type."

John shook his head. "No, just Jaina. Former SEAL. We got the equipment from dead soldiers."

"Ah. I see." Alec said. The others seemed friendly enough, but John was cold and intimidating.

Connor must have realized this, and said, "Forgive my brother's cold demeanor. He's really nice if you get to know him." He said, elbowing John in the side. "Be polite." He whispered.

John ignored him. "Thanks for the assist, but we need to get going. We're headed for Atlanta."

"So are we." Ryan replied.

"Hey, you guys wanna tag along for awhile?" Connor asked, smiling. "Nice to have some new faces to talk to."

Jaina was admiring Ryan's handiwork on his mustang. "Incredible." She said. "You did a hell of a job on this." She remarked.

Ryan grinned. "Thanks, I used to be a mechanic."

Josh's eyes lit up. "A mechanic? Do you think you could have a look at our APC? We've been having engine trouble."

"We're fine." John interjected. "And we're better going on our own. Let's move, people."

"Come on, John." Connor said. "Let's let them come with us, we haven't seen anyone else in weeks."

John glared at him. "Fine." He said, hopping back into the APC. Before he got in, he glanced at Ryan. "You can fix the APC?"

"I can certainly try." Ryan answered, avoiding John's hard gaze.

Connor turned to Alec. "Seriously, he _is_ nice. He's just… distrustful."

"Understandable." Alec replied. "I'm the same way."

Ryan looked back at Jaina as she headed for the APC, Josh following and Connor waving as he climbed in after them. Ryan motioned for everyone to head back to the Mustang, all four of them climbing in to follow the vehicle.

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Review! By the way, I'm going to write a chapter with a short story from each big OC before the merge.


	8. Family Reunion

Only two more chapters until the merge! Yay! Excitement! Reason this was published so soon is that I was simultaneously writing this chapter and last chapter. OC's are Tristan, Sakura, Ella, Alice, and James. Character stories will be next. I still need John's story, Sakura's story, and James's story. PM me so we can talk about it guys.

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Sakura's eyes opened, and for a moment she forgot where she was. She yawned, and sat up on the driver's couch in the RV. It was still fairly dark out. She turned to look at the rest of the RV. Ella was still asleep on the couch, and the kids were asleep on the bed. Aaron was in a sleeping bag on the floor. While she worked on waking up, she gazed around the RV, looking at the decorations. There were posters all over the walls, some of them a hooded figure with crooked teeth and red eyes in a black void. Those had _Disturbed_ written under them. Some kind of band probably. He had Indiana Jones, Batman, the Avengers, Deadpool, Grim Reaper posters, anime, and more. To Sakura's amusement he had several posters of Emma Watson. He had a small statue of a huge, muscular, bald, snow white man with red markings going from his eye to his shoulder, and he was bare chested with a kilt, holding two curving and jagged blades. The base of the figurine read _God of War_. He also had figurines of Darth Vader, Batman, Indiana Jones, and Boba Fett. Despite his tough guy appearance, it seemed like he was a huge geek, which Sakura found amusing, and kind of cool. She glanced at Tristan's bag, and saw it was empty.

She stretched, and went outside after strapping on her gear. There was a zombie just standing outside, and she snuck up behind it and decapitated it. It was a foggy morning, Sakura was barely able to see beyond the clearing they were parked in.

She heard twigs snapping, and turned to the noise, gripping her sword.

Tristan walked into the clearing, lugging a large bucket, Diego in tow. Sakura relaxed her grip and gave a small wave.

He smiled back, and set the bucket down by the RV and walked up to her. "Lovely morning we're having, huh?"

"That's a word for it." She replied.

Tristan stared at her for a moment. "How are you doing?" He asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"How are you holding up? I mean, I think you're pretty calm considering your town."

A wave of sadness overcame Sakura. "I've been trying not to think about it." She said.

His eyes widened as he realized how blunt he'd been. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."

She shook her head. "It's alright, don't worry about it." She was silent for a while. "My family was in there, my mother and sister."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "I understand."

"Do you?" She replied, not unkindly.

"I had to kill my whole family after they turned, along with my boyfriend."

She looked at him. "I'm sorry."

He had soft eyes. Not pitying, but soft like he understood. He gave a small smile. "Wanna help me make breakfast?"

She smiled back and nodded.

"Great, can you set up a spit? I need to get some things out of the RV."

She got to work, setting up the sticks and fire. Once she got it going, Tristan walked back outside with a sack full of food. He grabbed the bucket, and set it by the fire, revealing it to be full of fish.

"Where's your pole?" She asked.

"Didn't use one. Diego snaps the fish out of the water, while stab other fish and pick them up." He replied.

Sakura nodded, impressed. She grabbed some fish and started impaling them on the spit. Tristan took out some potatoes and a small onion along with some spices. Sakura started peeling the potatoes while Tristan turned the spit, while also working on slicing up the onion.

Sakura took over the spit as Tristan chopped the freshly peeled onions into chunks, and placed them in a skillet along with strips of onion, butter, and seasoning. He placed the skillet in the fire, and started roasting them, mixing up the ingredients with a spatula.

After a while, Sakura had roasted the fish to a crisp golden brown, and set the spit aside. Tristan took out the skillet, and the potatoes were sizzling, and had onion strings wrapped around the chunks.

As he set out plates they had gotten from Sakura's town, Sakura asked him a question. "So, you had a boyfriend before all this?" she asked nonchalantly

He nodded. "Yeah. We met while we were serving in Afghanistan. We started dating after I found out he was gay and he found out I was bi." He answered.

She smiled. "Nice. I'm bi too. I was dating this nice girl from my town named Arinna before shit hit the fan."

He laughed at that. He reached into his shirt and pulled out two silver lockets and selected one, removing it from his neck. He opened it and sat next to Sakura. "This was him, Daniel." He said, pointing to a dark skinned man with bright blue eyes that beautifully contrasted his dark brown skin. He had his arm around a man with dark brown, ruffled hair, tan skin, and chocolate brown eyes. Sakura realized it was Tristan, minus the scars, dirt, blood, and haunted eyes. Not to mention the lack of the glint of insanity in his eyes. They were flashing pearly white smiles.

Sakura smiled. "He's cute."

"Yeah. He was awesome." Tristan answered, reminiscing. "Not to mention he was an awesome shot. And spectacular in b…"

"I don't need to hear those details." Sakura stopped him, laughing. She grew somber. "I assume… that what happened to him is what happens to everyone now?"

He nodded sadly. "Yeah. We were walking through the city, when a zombie attacked. I went over to help the woman it was eating. He came over too, and then another bit his shoulder. You can guess the rest." He turned to Sakura. "I'm guessing the same thing happened to Arinna?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. A runner ambushed us while we were in the park."

He nodded, then stretched. "I'll get the others, we don't want breakfast going cold."

As he got up to go to the RV, a pissed off looking Aaron was watching them from a window in the RV.

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Tristan served everyone their plates, and took one inside to Ella. Sakura ate her potatoes, moaning at the delicious taste. She hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. Alice walked over to her with her plate, and sat next to her.

"Hey Allie." Sakura greeted.

"Hi Sakura." She replied. She dug into her fish, visibly resisting the urge to use her hands to shovel it in. Sakura watched, amused.

She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Aaron. "Hey, mind if I eat with you?" He asked.

Sakura smiled and nodded, and turned her attention to her fish. Tristan and Diego had managed to get a large amount of both trout and salmon.

Aaron nudged his food with his fork. "So, Tristan got this?" He muttered.

Sakura nodded, and after swallowing, said, "Yeah, he and Diego went fishing this morning."

Aaron scoffed. "A dog went fishing?"

"He used his mouth to snap up the fish, while Tristan stabbed them and grabbed them from the water."

He humphed, and ate a potato. "So, I saw you guys out here earlier. What were you two talking about?"

Sakura swallowed a mouth full of fish. "We talked about the old world, his old boyfriend and my old girlfriend."

Aaron perked up, grinning. "He's gay?"

She shook her head. "Bi, like me."

He frowned. "Oh. Bi."

Sakura finished off her food, and stood up. "I'm going into the RV."

He stood up. "I'll come with you."

Sakura eyed his plate. "You're going to waste perfectly good food? You've barely touched yours."

He stared at the food, scowled, and sat down to eat. Sakura turned and walked to the RV. When she walked in, she heard gunshots, and explosions. Tristan was sitting on the couch next to Ella, and they both had Xbox controllers. The TV had a game on it, Halo, Sakura remembered. She walked over. "You're playing video games?"

Tristan nodded as he shot a small, monkey looking thing with a gas mask. "Yep. Didn't have anything planned for today, figured we could all just chill."

Sakura stared at him. "Chill? There's always something you could be doing to help you survive. Stock up on food."

"There's plenty of that in the fridge and pantry, and the animals aren't going anywhere." He replied.

"Go over inventory, then." She said.

"I know what I have, and what I need."

"Load magazines."

"Already done."

"Reinforce the RV's armor."

"It's already strong and durable."

"Clean your weapons."

"I clean my blades after every use of them, and there's no need to clean guns.

"What about…"

"Sakura." Tristan said, exasperated. "If I spend all my time surviving and prepping, then what's the point?"

Sakura was confused. "Point to what?"

"I mean, what's the point of surviving if that's all you do? You need to live a little, too. Even if it's doing something small, like playing a videogame, reading a book, or just talking. I like to go on runs with Diego, shoot aliens, read Harry Potter, watch Terminator. If all you do is survive, you lose the point of life. What's the point of surviving if you're not going to live, too?"

Sakura considered his words. The past five years, she had dedicated all her time to helping take care of the town. Tristan smiled, and offered his controller to her. She hesitated, and took the controller. She sat next to Tristan, and he went over the controls. "This is switch weapons, this is reloading/picking up weapons, this is melee, this is switching grenades, this is throwing grenades, this is shooting, and this is jumping. Press this to zoom in if your weapon has a scope, press this to crouch."

He unpaused, and Ella shot a bunch of crystals at a blue thing out of some gun with pink shards on top. She looked at her weapon, it was a pistol. "That's the most powerful weapon in this game, you can two shot a hunter if you hit it in the right spot. Though they severely downgraded it in later games." Tristan said. He glanced at her confused face. "Hunters are big blue crab looking things that shoot large explosive green balls. Watch out for them."

After a few minutes Sakura had gotten the hang of the controls, and she and Ella blew through the aliens. Ella got blown up, so Tristan took over. The others wandered in and watched. Tristan had clearly spent hours playing the game, he barely got hit and took down hordes. Every time someone died, they switched out, Tristan teaching David and Alice the controls. Aaron refused to play.

After a few hours, people got bored, and Tristan popped in Aladdin, much to everyone aside from Aaron's joy. David and Alice and Tristan sang along with the songs, and after a while Sakura and Ella joined in.

After a few hours and a couple more movies went by, Tristan got up to make dinner. He made steaks out of deer meat. Sakura realized how the day was over, and she hadn't even realized. And it was the best day she had had in years.

After dinner, Tristan took Alice and David to his bed, and talked to them while they fell asleep. Ella got off the couch and eased over to the bookshelf, and looked through Tristan's books, seeing a lot of fiction. She selected _City of Bones_ , and looked through it.

"That's a good book." Ella heard at her ear, causing her to jump. Tristan was standing behind her. "It's a great series, if you're into fantasy and all that."

Ella smiled. "I am. What's it about?"

He sat on the couch. "Demons, Angels, nephilim, magic, all that fun stuff. Basic synopsis, this girl gets exposed to the world of the Shadowhunters, or demon hunters. She tries to save her mother, and learn how to fight demons."

Ella stared at the cover. "Mind if I read it?"

"Sure, go ahead." He answered. Ella sat next to him and started reading. Tristan got up to stretch, and she laid down.

Tristan whistled for Diego, and the two of them walked outside. He announced that they were going for a walk, and they'll be back in an hour or two.

Tristan walked through the woods, noting the path back. Diego ran around, sniffing everything.

Tristan breathed in the night air, and let out a content sigh. "What do you think, Diego?" Diego looked at him. "You know, all these new people?" Diego let out a small woof. "Yeah, I agree, they're pretty cool. I'm just worried about how different things will be until they leave." Diego whined at this. "Don't be ridiculous. Everyone has gotten tired of us eventually. Alice and David are staying, of course, but I think Ella's planning on leaving once her leg is better, and Sakura and Aaron, well I don't know about them." Diego let out a low growl in response. "Yeah, he is kind of an ass. Not sure why he's so cranky, only thing I've done is twist his arm when he attacked me." He thought for a moment. "Weird that someone like Sakura would be good friends with someone so rude." Diego let out what sounded like a snicker, Tristan's face going slightly red. "Shut up." He said.

Then Tristan froze, and whipped around, drawing his sword, to see a smirking Sakura. He sheathed his sword. "Why were you…?"

"To prove to you that I _could_ be sneaky." She replied. "Plus, I felt like a walk."

He smiled, and gestured down the path. "Got to give you credit, I didn't realize you were there until you were right behind me." He said.

Sakura grinned. "So who is it that sucks at observing their surroundings?"

He returned the grin. "Yeah, whatever." He said. After a minute, he asked, "Question. Those gold highlights in your hair, are those from before Z-Day and you just used a really strong dye, or do you regularly re-dye them?"

"Well, it _is_ a strong dye, lasts for months and is water resistant. But yeah, I reapply it every few months. I like the way it looks." She answered.

He nodded. "It does look nice with the red."

"Thanks." She said. She watched Diego sniff around the bushes. "Hey, mind if I see your katana?"

He smiled and nodded. He pulled it out. The scabbard was jet black, with a silver dragon design on both sides. The mouth and tip were silver and in strange fire designs. He pulled out the sword, and Sakura stared in awe. It was 24 inches long, with a gleaming silver blade, the blood groove smooth and shining. Along the blade was a black dragon design, the same one as was on the scabbard. It was incredibly sharp, pristine condition. Her eyes made their way from the blade to the hilt. The crossguard was jetblack, and had the same fire design as the tips of the scabbard. The hilt itself was black, with black cloth wrapping around it in perfect symmetry. The tip also had the fire design.

Sakura whistled. "That's a damn fine sword." She grinned. "You wouldn't happen to be compensating for anything, would you?" She asked innocently.

He glared at her, but was still grinning. "Care to find out?"

"Oh my God." She exclaimed. "Seriously?"

He was laughing. "Lemme see yours."

She pulled it out. It was a 24 inch long silver blade, a deep blood groove painted black runs though it, deep red swirls decorating the otherwise plain blade. The cross guard was a simple black and a slight green sheen, the grip was covered messily applied, thick black and red cloth, tinted with dirt and a darker black substance that seemed to never come out. The scabbard was a deep black, the same red swirls on it as on the blade, and a silvery metal band wrapped around it, Kanji's that read her name engraved into it, painted yellow. Another bit of metal coated the tip of the scabbard, making it just as sharp and deadly as the blade it covered.

Tristan whistled as well. "Damn. Have you ever had sexy feelings for a sword?"

She sighed, but still smiled. "You're really weird, you know that?"

He grinned. "What was your first clue?"

They once again walked in silence for a minute. Then she broke the silence. "I have a question too. Were you… were you having a conversation with Diego when I got here?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"As in, the two of you talking? Like people?" She asked.

He glanced at her. "Yes, why?"

She stared for a second before looking ahead. "Nothing, just curious."

Tristan smiled. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

Sakura shook her head in denial. "No, I just…"

"Don't worry." He laughed. "Because you're absolutely right. Five years of solitude tends to rattle some people's heads. Aside from the occasional rescue, and bandits and evil people, I've had almost zero human contact these past five years. Add on top of that my PTSD from the war, and the fact that I had to kill my family and boyfriend, _and_ watched my squad die, yes, I've gone a little insane." He smiled. "Crazy people don't know they are crazy. I know I'm crazy, therefor I'm not crazy, isn't that crazy?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "Is that a quote from somewhere? It sounds familiar."

"Captain Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean. Excellent movie series." He answered.

Sakura smiled. "You know, in the short time I've known you, you keep surprising me. When I saw you in the gun store, I had you pegged for some big tough guy who's hard, cold, and unfriendly. I never would have thought you were a geeky guy who watches Disney movies and takes care of kids."

He smiled. "That first impression can be handy against enemies. But thanks."

They walked in silence after that, watching Diego run around. Tristan turned to her to say they should head back, when they heard an explosion. They took off towards the sound, and at the crest of a hill saw a small parking lot in front of a large cabin. A man was defending himself against a group of zombies, but the horde was clearly too much for him. The smoking remains of a boomer were laying a few feet away from him, hence the explosion. Tristan drew his katana, Sakura drew her sword. The ran down the hill, and ran around the herd, and hopped a fence to get to the man. He jumped when he saw the two of them, then a runner leapt at him. Tristan decapitated it in mid air, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud thud. The three of them hacked and slashed, keeping the herd at bay. A spitter emerged from the herd and spat at Sakura. She ducked, the acid splashing against the wall behind her. She dodged it's swipe at her, and kicked it, sending to the ground where she stabbed it's head. Two runners leapt at them, Tristan slashing one in half, the man decapitating the other.

The horde had been thinned out, leaving only a dozen or so left. Another boomer made it's way towards them, and Tristan waited until it was between three other zombies before shooting one of it's bulges, killing the four of them instantly.

They made quick work of the rest of the zombies. The man sheathed his blades after wiping them down with a cloth. Tristan and Sakura both noticed that he didn't have any guns on him, just knives and swords, along with an ax.

The man turned to them. "Thanks." He said. He turned and walked into the cabin. As he walked in, Tristan noticed that his leg was bleeding. He followed him into the cabin.

"Hey, buddy." Tristan said. The man turned around, surprised. "What happened to your leg?"

He looked his leg, and his eyes widened. "It's not what you think, I cut my leg when I was running to the cabin, I tripped and cut it on a rock."

Tristan stared at him, then released his grip on his pistol. "My bullshit radar isn't going off. So what are you doing here?"

The man sized Tristan up, trying to determine if he could be trusted. "I found a mother and her child walking alongside the road." He said at last. "They were pretty beaten up, so I patched them up. I'm taking them to a town."

Tristan nodded. "There's a good one a little ways north. If you take route 28 and drive straight, you'll come across it. Be careful, though, they'll stop your car to see if you're good."

The man smiled in appreciation. "Thanks."

Sakura walked up behind him. "If you do go north, you'll see signs for a good looking town, located in the woods. Don't follow them, it was burned down and ravaged by bandits." She said.

His eyes widened. "Wait, were you from that town?" Sakura nodded, and the man smiled. "Wait here." He went to get the woman and child. Tristan and Sakura exchanged a look. Then Sakura heard a voice she thought she'd never hear again.

"Sakura! Oh my God!" She turned to see her mother standing there, mouth agape. She felt something run into her and wrap her arms around her. Her little sister was hugging her tightly. Her mother ran over and they all embraced, crying tears of joy. Tristan and the man watched with smiles on their faces.

As they all cried and rejoiced in their reunion, Tristan conversed with the man. "Well, I suppose I should introduce myself. Tristan. That's Sakura over there, if you didn't hear her mother scream her name." He said.

"James." the man said.

"Man of few words, huh?" Tristan remarked.

James nodded. "I try not to talk too much to people I don't know. Helps me avoid trouble."

"A wise policy." Tristan replied. He watched Sakura with a smile on his face. "You did a good thing helping them. And personally I'm happy to see Sakura happy, I've felt her depression since the bandits." He glanced sideways at James. "Hey, you said you patched them up? You a doctor?"

James shrugged. "No, but my sister was a surgeon, and she made me curious so I studied a bit of the medical field."

"Well, it seems like our group is growing, and won't be shrinking anytime soon. We could use someone with your skills. Care to join us?"

James thought about it. "I usually try to stay on my own." He replied.

"C'mon, you seem like a nice guy. And my group is quickly filling up with girls, the only other guys back at camp are a nine year old, my dog, and this asshole she's friends with." Tristan pleaded.

James scratched his neck, then shrugged. "Sure, why not." He replied.

Tristan smiled and went back to watching Sakura talk with her family. She walked them up to him. "Mom, Amber, this is Tristan. He's been taking care of me and Aaron since the bandits attacked." She said, smiling.

Tristan smiled and shook her hand, and then Amber, who looked to be in her teens. "Nice to see you guys are still alive. Why don't we head back to camp, you can say hi to everyone else."

He and Diego walked up ahead, James behind him. Sakura and her family brought up the rear. "So," her mom said, "Aaron is with you." Sakura could hear the reluctance in her voice.

"Look, I know he's a little… okay, really creepy sometimes, but he's a nice guy." Sakura said. "He needs someone to take care of him."

"Maybe, but this man you've found seems to be a lot kinder and polite." her mother replied. Sakura caught her mother's glance.

"Put that thought out of your mind. "Sakura said.

"I said nothing." Her mother replied, smirking.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Though as they walked she did find herself staring at the back of Tristan a few times. She couldn't lie, he was an intriguing character.

Review! Stories are next!


	9. Exposition

Hello! Here are the stories, merge is next. By the way, something I like to do when reading anything is listen to music that fits what's going on. I'll put some indications of where I would recommend listening to certain songs when they would best be started, follow them or don't your choice. Enjoy, I'll try to update soon.

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Ella was with her friends. They were in the car, driving through the woods, headed for the beach. College had ended a month ago, and they were celebrating Haley's 21st birthday

"Ahhh! Guys, I'm so excited!" Haley yelled.

"This is going to be so cool." Sasha said.

Ella smiled. "So, what are you gonna have for your first drink?" Ella asked.

Haley thought for a moment. "I'm thinking… a margarita."

"Seriously? Not liquor, wine, champagne? Not even beer?" Cashmere asked.

"What? I've always wanted one, and they look nice." Haley retorted.

Cash shrugged. "Whatevs. Hey, town is right after this curve." They rounded the corner, and she screamed along with everyone in the car. The streets were wet with blood, and there were people eating each other.

Sasha slammed on the brakes. She went to turn the car around, and then the car started dissolving. A man was vomiting acid somehow on their car. It dissolved the hood, then the engine. The car died.

Ella's head was spinning. There was red everywhere, people were screaming, but above all she heard moaning. Deep, raw, horrifying moaning. She had seen movies, but those were just movies. Why was this happening, movies aren't real. Haley was screaming, her face was gone. Ella stared in horror as her friend's face was ripped apart.

She felt herself get grabbed, Sasha was dragging her. She looked around, her vision hazy. Then she heard gunfire. Some guy was holding a rifle, shooting everyone. Then someone ran up and tore out his throat.

She wasn't being dragged anymore, Cashmere was chewing on Sasha, who was screaming. Ella snapped back to reality. Zombies. Zombies were everywhere. She ran… ran…

She reached a red Chevy, and

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Ella slammed on the breaks, the Chevy finally dying outside her home in Lawrence. The sight of Dean's '67 Impala gave her hope as Ella rushed inside only to find the house completely empty.

She darted upstairs panting in fear. "Dean?! Sam?! Dad?! GUYS?!" The only coherent thoughts Ella racked were worst case scenarios. She wrinkled her nose at a foul odor and pushed open the door to her father's study, only to let out a low cry at the scene in front of her.

A zombie lay feasting on her dad's torso, and Ella could see his open eyes and the bullet that rested in between them. At the sound of Ella's approach, the zombie looked up and made it's way over to the girl. She tripped backwards, and saw the gun in her dad's hand. She rolled away as the zombie reached for her. She scrambled over to her dad's corpse, and turned and shot the monster as it stood over it. It fell on top of her and Ella was quick to shove it off. She stumbled to her feet, and let loose a scream. She screamed in pain, anguish, sadness. This went on for a full minute. She regained her composure. She began to search the house thoroughly.

It was empty. Not a weapon lay in sight, food, clothing, nothing but the keys to her older brothers car.

Ella finally made it to her old room, and that was it. Ella shut the door and leaned against it, her back sliding down the wall as she crumbled, sobs breaking away, true, her dad was distant, but if something had happened to her brothers, he would have been all that Ella had left.

A low whine captured Ella's attention and she opened the door cautiously, Corporal, her mom's old Shepard, stood panting. The dog nudged Ella and she reached down to rub his neck, a folded piece of paper in his collar distracted her.

"Whatcha got here boy?" A note, Ella finally patted the dog before opening the tattered paper. The ink was old...

Ella,

Get away from here. Get safe.

Take care of yourself.

Don't worry about us, don't try to find us.

\- Sam and Dean

It was Sam's handwriting but the note didn't make sense, why would Dean leave his car? That was his most prized possession. Something was off, wrong.

"C'mon boy." Ella said shoving the note into her pocket. "We have work to do."

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Alice sat in the back of Jenny's minivan. "Thanks for taking care of me while Mommy and Daddy were busy." Alice thanked her mommy's friend.

Jenny nodded and smiled. "Any time, Allie. Here's your house."

Alice hopped down from the minivan, and walked up to the front door. She waved goodbye to Jenny, then opened the door and walked inside. As usual it was a mess. Her father had broken a vase this time, she could tell because the shards and fragments were on the floor below a large dent in the wall.

Sparky came up to her and licked her. Spot and Lucky were behind him.

Alice laughed and rubbed their bellies. Lucky was the largest of them. "A jermin shepird" her mother said. Sparky was a doksund, Spot a doll-mation.

Then she heard her mother crying. She went into the kitchen to see her father standing over mommy, who was laying on the floor, a cut across her forehead. Daddy said stuff in her ear that Alice couldn't hear.

Her father saw her and opened up the back door. "Out. Now. Mommy and Daddy are busy, sweetheart." Her daddy demanded. Alice knew better than to argue, and the doggies followed her outside. She clutched suzy in her arms. Suzy was her favorite dolly. Mommy got her for her when she was one years old.

Alice walked down the porch stairs, and went to play in the grass. She picked up the tennis ball and threw it, Lucky running after it. As he brought it back to her, Sparky rolled in the grass, Spot laying down next to her. Lucky dropped the ball at her feet, and she threw it again. She tried ignoring daddy's yelling. She heard mommy cry in pain. Alice wanted to help, but last time she did that she had to have sur-jer-ee on her shoulder to fix it.

She glanced back at the house, and saw her daddy holding mommy by the neck through the glass door. She turned back to the doggies, throwing the ball again.

She heard growling, and looked at the back fence. A man with torn skin and blood was climbing over her fence.

"Hey, you're not allowed to come over. "You a stranger." Alice yelled. The scary man ignored her, standing up and walking over towards her. Lucky growled.

Then Lucky ran at the man, biting him. The man didn't yell, he just looked at lucky. Then fast he bent down and bit into Lucky's side. Alice screamed.

She felt herself get picked up, Mommy was picking her up and carrying her into the house. Daddy had his hunt rifle out, and then he shot the man. Alice called for Lucky, but Lucky just lay still in the grass. Alice started crying.

Mommy took her to her room, Daddy following. Alice was crying into mommy's shoulder.

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5 hours later…

Mr. Gust, their neighbor, had called them over to his house. When They got there, half the neighborhood was in his backyard, walking single file into an underground bunker.

Daddy said that Mr. Gust had built the bunker in case of a nuclear apocalypse, it was deep underground with lots of food and water. He said there would be plenty for everyone.

They were escorted to their room. It was small, like a jail cell, but a little nicer looking. Alice didn't like that they would all be so close to each other, where would she hide when her Daddy got into one of his moods?

It wasn't all bad. The neighbor's boy David was there, and he was nice. And Old Sam was nice, too. He really liked being around Alice and David, and played with them a lot. Alice missed her home, and Lucky. Maybe things would get better.

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The night road was empty, save for a lone zombie on the ground, eating the deer carcass. Then it was illuminated, and it turned to the light just before getting flattened by the hummer.

Inside the two brothers sat in silence. It was two weeks into the apocalypse, and they were horrified by all they had seen in those first two weeks.

John drove, stone faced. Connor gazed out the window. "Hey John?" He said after a while, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" John replied.

"What the hell are we doing?" He asked.

John raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what are we doing? We've been driving around Georgia aimlessly for the past week. Why don't we try heading up to Canada, try and find Mom and Dad?"

"They weren't answering their phones, we tried a dozen ways of contacting them. They're dead." John answered shortly.

"How do you know? They could easily be separated from the internet, and their phones." He argued.

"We're their kids. If they were still alive, they would have found _some_ way to contact us by now. Besides, Canada is a bad place to be, especially when winter comes."

"It's the middle of fucking summer. And you can't say that communication hasn't become a million times harder now."

John sighed. "Look, I don't have a plan right now. All I know is that shit hit the fan, and Mom and Dad weren't exactly survivor material."

"Dad is pretty beefy, and they could be in a town, a stronghold, a camp."

"Damnit Connor!" John yelled, bringing the hummer to a screeching halt. "You are making this _so_ difficult! I don't want to accept it either, but I know it. I feel it in my gut that they're dead. And maybe that makes them lucky. Lucky that they don't have to live through this shit." He sighed. "I am _trying_ to keep the two of us safe, to come up with a plan. But I don't have shit."

Connor stared at his brother. Then he leaned over and hugged him. "I'm sorry. We'll get through this. I trust you."

John smiled at his brother. "Thanks." He hit the gas pedal, then cursed when it didn't work. "Shit. We're out of gas."

Connor stared at the empty gauge, then hopped out of the car. "Then I guess we're walking." He said.

John sighed, then got out and popped the trunk. He grabbed their gear and they started walking.

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After an hour they came to a cabin. They stared in shock at the APC parked in front. They peeked inside, and saw a shit ton of ammo and food. They grinned and high fived each other. As John moved to climb in the driver's seat, Connor grabbed his arm. "Shh. Listen." They did, and John heard sinister laughing coming from the cabin, along with crying. John drew his gun, Connor doing the same, and they crept up the stairs and peeked in the window, and dropped their mouths in horror.

Four men had a woman bound and gagged on the floor, ripping off her shirt and pants. A man lay dead, shot a few feet away from them. They all had their dicks out, stroking them as one of them worked off the woman's clothes.

Connor looked to his brother, and saw rage in his eyes. He roared, and smashed open the window, jumping in and socking the closest one in the jaw. He was knocked to the ground, and the other three approached him with a dagger, nail bat, and pipe. John got into his wrestler stance, and went into a flurry of martial arts. The bastards made a mistake engaging him in close quarters. He managed to get them all on the ground, and started beating the to death. Pounding and stomping, he beat their skulls to a pulp. He felt like it only lasted a minute, but when he finished, Connor had been talking to the now clothed woman in the kitchen for over an hour.

John stared at his raw and bloody hands. He looked at the men. These men looked like ordinary people. Neighbors. Was this really what the world had become? Was this the future of humanity? Would the last humans die not by the zombies, but by each other?

He realized that the answer to all those questions was probably yes. There were no laws now. The only thing stopping people from committing evil deeds was their own morality. He gained a hardened look in his eyes. He would have to adapt to the new world. He realized that these men were the first he had ever killed. And he knew that they would not be the last.

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James walked over the crest of the hill, the town in sight. He sighed, and walked down the hill. He walked down the street, the empty buildings and silence still unnerving even after two years.

He scanned the area, and his eyes landed on a supermarket. He walked over, and smashed the window to get inside. All the automatic doors were dead now, as were the alarms. He switched on his flashlight, and let the beam move around the area. The store seemed empty. As he walked around, he groaned when he saw the shelves were also empty. He wasn't very good at hunting, he preferred blades over guns, but as a result he couldn't shoot a deer for food. His eyes lit up when he spotted a stand at the end of an aisle. Beef Jerky. He scooped all the packs into his arms, emptying the stand. He put them in his pack, and walked down the aisles again. He didn't find anything else besides old pepsi, which would be both too syrupy and too flat to drink now.

He walked out of the store, and looked around for a place to spend the night. As he looked, he glanced down the street and gasped. It couldn't be, the chances were too… dear God it _was_ her! He grinned and took off down the street, and got to her in seconds. As he neared her, she turned and he could see her mouth drop, which then turned into a huge smile.

"James!" She yelled. He got to her and embraced her.

"Josie, thank God." He whispered. He thought his family was dead, but here was his sister, standing and hugging him!

She pulled away after a minute with happy tears in her eyes. "I thought you were dead." She said through the tears.

"I thought the same of you." James said. His eyes saddened. "Are Mom and Dad…?"

She nodded. "Yes. I put them down myself when they got bitten."

He hung his head, but picked himself back up. "Well, I'm thrilled to see you."

"Same here." She replied. "Listen, I would be ecstatic if you came with me, but right now I'm escorting a family to a town."

He nodded. "I would love to join you." He answered.

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James and Josie found a pickup truck, and James hot wired it. The family was a mother, father, son and daughter. They had a small Yorkie Terrier with them. James forgot their names.

They drive through the city, but once they reached the outskirts, the car broke down. They got out and started walking, when a runner leapt out from behind a car. It tackled the father, chomping down on the father's face before James sliced it's head in half.

Zombies started coming from all directions in response to the father's dying scream. Spitters, boomers, runners everywhere. A spitter shambles over to them and spat, acid splashing at their feet. Most of them jumped out of the way, but a few stray drops hit Josie and the mother. Josie got lucky, the acid landed on her leg, the single drop dissolving a small hole in her pants and sizzling away.

The mother had her face get splashed, her face burning and dissolving to the muscle. The son and daughter were screaming, James was moving back and forth, trying to protect all sides, his sister in the middle with an assault rifle shooting down the horde.

But there were too many. The mother and the kids were still alive, though half of the mother's face now looked like a halloween mask. "Run!" James shouted over the moans and growls. "I'll hold them off! Go!"

The family ran, but Josie stayed. "No way in Hell I'm leaving you." She said.

James wanted to argue, but he knew he couldn't make his sister leave. They stood back to back, James dual wielding a sword and dagger, occasionally taking an ax out. He threw shurikens, hacked and slashed. Blood was everywhere. Josie filled the horde with hot lead, burning through clips. Then a runner ran straight towards James. He turned too late, and it was about to bite him when Josie stepped in front of him, taking the full force of the tackle. Before James could do anything, the runner bit into her throat. He stabbed it's head, but the damage was done. James's vision went red, and he roared. He ran straight at the horde, using his full arsenal. The zombies fell before him, none escaping his fury. After what seemed like ages, but in reality only a few minutes, James killed the last zombie. He ran over to his dying sister.

"Josie… I'm so sorry. I should have protected you…"

She shook her head, weakly. "I sacrificed myself, my death is on my own hands." She smiled. "Listen, I need you to promise me two things."

"Anything." He said.

"First, promise me you'll kill me before I turn. I don't want to be one of them." She said. "Second, promise me you'll survive. Use that smart head of yours, you can get out of any situation. Live for me. Can you do that?"

James nodded, tears in his eyes. "I promise." He said.

She smiled. "I love you James. And you were the best big brother a girl could have."

James felt the tears sliding down his face. "I love you too."

She let out a breath, then closed her eyes. Her heart stopped beating. James cried into her shoulder. Then he took his knife and jammed it in the back of her head. She wouldn't turn now.

He was broken. He had found the last of his family, just to have her ripped away again.

He buried her, then packed up and walked. He walked, and walked.

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The penthouse was empty, it's occupants out for dinner. All was quiet, save for a poodle sleeping on the couch.

The door opened, a figure clad in all black putting away a lock pit. He spotted the poodle, and before it could bark he reached into his bag and threw a treat. The dog leapt down from the couch and started chewing. The boy had experienced robberies gone wrong due to dogs. Thankfully these rich snobs never got anything big like a german shepherd or doberman.

Alec wasted no time, he went from room to room, silently opening drawers and doors. He filled a second back with silverware from the kitchen along with some expensive wine. He crept to the master bedroom, and looked around. His eyes widened when he spotted the jewelry box. He went over to it, and studied the lock. He drew his multi tool, and set to work on the lock. It was an old one, but nothing he couldn't handle. He got open after half a minute, and opened it. Jackpot!

Gold, silver, genuine jewels! He went to grab them, when he spotted a photo at the bottom. It was of an elderly woman, hugging a younger woman. Mother and daughter. These must have been the mother's jewels.

Alec hesitated. These could fetch a fortune, feeding him and Natalie for months. Oh, and dad.

But his eyes kept wandering to the picture. He groaned, and shut the case. He would make do with what he had already gotten.

He went back out into the living room when the door started opening. He dashed into the kitchen, hiding behind the carpet. He heard laughing.

"Oh, darling, that was exquisite." A woman crooned.

"Indeed. We should go to the shows more often." A man replied. Alec groaned inwardly, regretting not grabbing the jewels. These rich snobs made him sick.

"Cash cash, where did you get that?" The woman asked. The treat.

"Perhaps Sebastian bought him a new treat." The man commented. "Let's not worry about it dear. You still haven't gotten dessert." He said seductively. Alec paled.

"Mmmm, you're right darling. Let's head for bed."

"Why not just eat it here?" The man said. He heard a thud, and them laughing as they went on the floor. Alec was panicking. He did _not_ want to listen to this.

He heard them breathing heavily. He was red in the face. He peeked out from behind the counter, the man had the woman under him, kissing her neck. Both of their eyes were closed as they enjoyed each other. Alec took advantage of their obliviousness, and crept to the door, not making a single sound. He walked past the two of them completely unaware of their surroundings. He made it to the door, and slowly opened it, just enough to slip through. He closed the door again, and sighed in relief. He headed for the elevator, and pressed the ground floor. As it descended he took off any suspicious clothing and stuffed them in his bag. He reached the lobby. He almost made it out when a security guard grabbed his arm. "Excuse me, sir." He said.

Alec internally screamed. He pasted a smile on his face and turned to the guard. "Y-yes?"

The guard smiled and held up his mask. "This fell out of your bag."

Alec breathed a sigh of relief, genuinely smiling now. "Thanks." He said. He took the mask and turned and walked out the door.

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Alec got off the subway once it reached Greenwich Village. One of the worst places in New York to be, it was one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the city.

He kept his head down and his bag of goodies clutched to his chest. He had his hand in his pocket, gripping the pistol.

He felt the eyes of passerby sizing him up. He managed to get to the shabby apartment building, and went up the stairs to 3F. He fished the key out of his pocket, and opened the door.

Natalie was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Alec smelled Ramen. Again.

Alec placed the bag on the table, and unloaded its contents. Despite the fact that Alec hadn't taken the jewels, he had made out. The silverware was made of actual silver, and he had grabbed gold watches and cufflinks, and the wine was incredibly expensive.

Nat walked over and grinned when she saw his spoils. "Nice. Maybe we'll be able to afford higher quality soup now."

Alec nodded, and went to the floor. He picked up the floorboard, and removed a small safe. He unlocked it, then cursed when he saw that it was empty. "Dad!" He called.

After a few seconds a frail, pale, haunted looking man stepped into the kitchen. "Yeah?" The man asked.

Alec glared at him. "You did it again. You took my money and you spent it on drugs, didn't you?"

The man shook his head in denial. "No, I didn't. I don't know what you're talking about…"

"Bullshit! I'm sick of you doing this! Does the fact that your kids are starving mean anything to you?!" Alec yelled.

The man hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, I'll get better. I promise."

"No, dad, you won't. You never do, and you never will." Alec retorted. He stuffed the stolen goods back in the bag and headed back out.

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Once he had returned from the pawnshop, Alec walked into the apartment with a wad of cash and groceries.

He scowled when he saw his dad passed out on the couch, needle in his arm, pupils dilated.

He sighed and took the safe and put the cash inside. He would have to find _another_ hiding place for it now, for the hundredth time.

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Alec stared in disbelief at the empty safe. He had picked the perfect spot this time. There was no way his dad should have found it. He felt the anger and frustration build up inside him. Then he began to pack. He didn't have many belongings, they all fit in a single suitcase.

He went to Rachel's room. "Pack up, we're leaving." He said when she answered his knocking. She nodded, and went to start. Alec wheeled his suitcase into the living room, to see his dad preparing a needle. He walked over and slapped the syringe out of his hand, shattering it on the floor. His dad turned in outrage to his son, but faltered when he saw the anger in his son's eyes.

Alec stared at him, then took a deep breath. "Dad, we're leaving. Natalie and I. And you're not coming with us."

His dad's eyes widened. "What? What? Why?" He stammered.

"Because you're killing us, dad. You steal our money, you let us starve, you're a deadbeat. We'll be able to survive on our own, where you can't take from us."

His father opened his mouth to argue, tears in his eyes. Then he shut it. He knew his son was right. His addiction was endangering his children's lives.

Natalie came into the room, and avoided looking at her father. She had seen this coming, but it didn't make it any easier.

The two of them went out the door, neither one looking back.

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Five days after his children had left, he sat down on the couch. He loaded up the syringe, then another, then another. He wrapped his arm in the band, and injected himself with all three at once. He _was_ going to die of an overdose, that's what everyone will say, that's what his children will believe. No one would know he did it on purpose. He knew if he killed himself, and his children knew he did, they would blame themselves. So he made it look like an accident. He felt his life slip away from him, accepting his fate. The drugs shut down his brain. He passed on the couch. The police didn't find him until three weeks later when the landlord showed up for the late rent and saw the rotting corpse on the couch. Alec and Natalie heard of his passing, and just as their father knew, they believed it was drug overdose. Not a broken heart, a broken soul.

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"Fuck!" yelled Ryan. He sighed, frustrated. The customer was coming to pick up his car, and Ryan still hadn't found what the hell was wrong with the damn thing. It was a blue mustang, like the one he had. The same one that was parked outside.

Ryan wiped his forehead, replacing the sweat with a streak of oil and grease. He glanced outside at the car he had had for so many years. He remembered the first day he had driven it.

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Ryan wrote the final answer down. God he hated biology.

He went for his math homework when he heard a sharp yell. He wasn't surprised, it _was_ his and Rachel's birthday after all. This always happened. But it didn't make him any less pissed off.

He stormed downstairs to see his father, Rachel on the ground crying. His father had a beer bottle clutched in his hand, his belt in the other.

As usual Rachel's birthday gift was red welts on her cheeks, and bruises she would be forced to hide the next day. She received this special gift from their father often. No cakes, no presents, just beatings and more traumatizing childhood memories.

"Your fault." His father slurred. "Your fault she's dead. Your fault. You _deserve_ this."

Ryan stepped in front of him as he raised the belt, much to his father's amusement. "Stop." He growled.

His father laughed. "Make me." He replied. He grinned. Ryan scowled, and pushed his father. He considered his son for a moment, then backhanded him across his cheek. He chugged the last of the beer, and picked up Ryan by his shirt. "When are you gonna learn some goddamned respect, you little shit." He slurred. Ryan answered by elbowing his father in the gut. He grunted in brief pain, then threw his son to the ground, smashing the glass against the nearby table. "Fucker, I'll _teach_ you some manners."

He grabbed Ryan and thrusted the glass into his shoulder. Ryan cried out in pain, lying on the floor, blood soaking the carpet.

"Clean that mess up once you're done being a little bitch." His father sneered. He stumbled into the living room and switched on the TV.

Rachel helped Ryan to his feet, and led him to her room. She went and got a first aid kit, and took out some tweezers and picked out the glass from Ryan's shoulder. She disinfected it, then went to work on sewing the wound shut.

As she worked, Ryan whispered, "Tonight."

Rachel looked confused, then her eyes widened and she grinned. "Tonight? We're finally leaving tonight?!"

Ryan nodded, a small smile on his face. "Tonight."

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Their mom used to own a beautiful electric blue 1966 mustang that she had fixed up for fun. It was claimed by their father after she died. He just kept it in the garage.

He had passed out on the couch, football running on the TV. Ryan and Rachel grabbed all the food in the house, all the money, and some clothes and loaded it into the car.

Now the dangerous part. Their father wore the keys on a necklace around his neck, they had to somehow get them from him. Rachel waited in the car, and Ryan opens every door in between the garage and the family room. Ryan took a lamp with him into the living room. He reached for the necklace, lamp poised. He softly unclasped the necklace, and pulled his hand away. Then his father's hand shot up and grabbed his wrist. Ryan smashed his face with the lamp, and took off for the car, his father on his tail. Ryan got in the car and started it, but their father locked the garage door before it can be opened. Ryan hadn't wanted to risk the noise. Their father grabbed a tire iron, and stalked over to the car. "After all these years, I'm finally beating your brains in. Sarah will finally be avenged." He sneered. He started smashing the car, trying to get to them. Ryan backed up the car, then hit the gas. They shot through the garage door, both of them yelling in pure exhilaration. For the first time in their lives, they were free.

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That was the day their new, better lives had started. He sighed, and went back to work on the mustang. Faintly, he heard a siren, but he ignored it. Then it got louder, and he went outside. He gasped. There were soldiers everywhere. One stood up on top of a tank. "ATTENTION! CITIZENS HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO EVACUATE. PLEASE REMAIN CALM, DO WHAT WE SAY, AND YOU WILL BE FINE. WE HAVE TO GET YOU TO SAFETY BEFORE THE VIRUS TAKES HOLD HERE."

Ryan was dumbfounded. What virus?

Just then Rachel came running up. She had a panicked look in her eye. "Ryan, we have to go."

Ryan stared in confusion. "Why?"

She stared at him like he was crazy. "Didn't you hear? Zombies!"

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The street was quiet. No zombies in sight. A small group of women walked down it. The red haired woman in front, leading her mother and sister. Her mother was clutching a small knife Sakura had found for her. She had never been much of a fighter. Her sister had a glock 7 in her hand, spare clips sticking out of her pockets. Sakura had her katana drawn. A month after Z-Day, she had learned to keep it drawn. They had hid in their house for three weeks, until they finally ran out of food, and accepted they couldn't stay there. Now they were searching for a haven.

They stop in front of a gas station. Sakura turns to her family. "I'll stand watch. Go grab anything that'll stay good, and any ammo you find."

"Why would there be ammo in a gas station?" Her mother asked.

"We're in a part of the country where people treated their guns like family members. It's safe to say a gas station would sell bullets for small arms at least. Not to mention any looters who may have been bitten and died here."

They nodded and walked inside. Sakura paced the area, keeping an eye out. A zombie crawled around a corner, separated from the bottom half of it's body. Sakura went over, placed her boot over it's head, and thrust her blade through it's skull in a clean stab. She slid it out and went back to pacing.

They were taking too long, it had been ten minutes. Sakura walked inside. She looked around, she couldn't see her family. She felt the panic rise up in her, but she swallowed and kept her cool. She walked to an aisle and peered down it, no sign of anyone. She took deep breaths, when she heard, "Sakura, I thought you… AH! It's me! It's me!"

Sakura had jumped, startled, and whirled around, placing the tip of her sword against the throat of the person behind her. It was her sister, with wide, fearful eyes. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, lowering her sword. "Sorry, you startled me. I came in because you guys were taking so long."

Amber smiled. "Sorry, we're just trying to be thorough. You were right, by the way. We found a guy in the back with a whole pack of ammo."

Sakura smiled. "Nice."

Her mother came around the corner. "That's it. I think we have plenty now."

They exited the store, and bit back screams. A horde was walking up the street, following a man limping away. He fired his gun into the horde, when a runner dashed towards him. He screamed as it tackled and ate him.

Sakura turned to her family to motion to them to follow her, when she saw Amber aiming her gun. "Amber no!" She whisper-yelled, slapping her hand away. To her horror, Amber fired the gun when she did this, and the entire horde turned to them.

Runners took off for them, and Sakura grabbed her mother and sister's arms and dragged them to follow her. They ran, but the runners were gaining on them. One was going exceptionally fast, and tackled Amber. She struggled to keep it at bay, the monster gnashing it's teeth in an effort to bite her.

Sakura roared and decapitated it. One ran for her mother, and she sliced off it's head. She lost herself in combat, and took on the whole horde. She snarled, slicing heads in half and shooting them. Her family watched in a mix of awe and horror. Before she knew it the horde was dead, and she was covered in blood.

She looked around at the carnage. She looked at her cowering family. She had almost lost them, and she swore to herself right then and there that she would do everything in her power to protect her family. No matter what.

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July 18th, 2100 hours military time. It's been three days since Z-Day. The world is falling, the deaths are accumulating. The military is doing everything in it's power to get as many people as possible to safety.

A man and his dog walk out of a building towards a chopper. They are both decked out in military gear. As they near the chopper, two men and a woman, also in their gear, get out to greet him. "Sharp, good to see you." Says one of the men.

Sharp grasps his arm in greeting. "Likewise commander. I'd say it's good to be back, but considering the circumstances, it's not."

"I can't believe this shit is happening." Says the other man, Irish. "I thought zombies were make believe."

"They should be." Says the commander. "But they're not, and now we have to do our job. Everyone get in the chopper, I'll brief you as we head to the White House.

They all complied, and they took off. "Here's what's going on: The president and her family are holed up in the Oval Office, along with the Secretaries of State and Defense, along with various workers. The Secret Service is dead, wiped out. The White House is completely surrounded, and the big ones have been reported as able to pick up tanks and throw them, so we can't land the chopper. We'll have to perform a HALO jump. Saving the President and the Secretaries are first priority, everyone else second, civilians that we happen to come across third. Understood?"

"Sir yes sir." They said in unison. Sharp was silent for a moment afterwards. "Commander, why aren't we helping the people? There are civilians who can't defend themselves, we should be saving _them_."

The woman, Viper, spoke up. "I agree. We're the best unit in the marines, we're Navy SEALS, we should…"

"The fact that we're the best is precisely why we were selected for this mission. Without their leaders, people will lose hope. We'll help civilians when we can, but for now our top priority is the President and Secretaries." The commander responded. He smiled.  
"But if it makes you feel any better, once they're safely secured, we have permission to return to the streets to help as many people as possible evacuate."

Everyone nodded, satisfied, and sat in silence. Irish turned to Sharp. "You seem depressed."

Sharp faced him. "I had to shoot my family. Yeah, I'm fucking depressed."

"Least you got to say goodbye. I don't have a damn clue where my family is." Irish replied.

They were nearing the White House, and after a minute were directly overhead. The soldiers strapped on their parachutes, and one by one left the chopper. They touched down on the roof, their parachutes falling behind them.

They ran to a skylight, shot it out, and jumped through. The hall was dark aside from the moonlight.

The commander motioned for the soldiers to secure the area as he switched on a radio. "Fortress, this is Tombstone. We have reached Olympus, making our way to the targets."

A voice crackled on over the comm. "This is Fortress, we read you Tombstone. Is everyone accounted for?"

"Sharp checking in." Sharp spoke up.

"Irish checking in."

"Viper checking in."

"Noble, checking in. Affirmative, all are present." The commander said.

"Noted. Tombstone, get our leaders out of there. By any means necessary. How Copy?"

"Copy that." Noble said. He turned to his team. "Everyone, stay together. No splitting up under any circumstances. Sharp, take point."

"Yessir." Sharp replied. He motioned to the dog to follow him, and went to the front. They moved silently through the halls, making their way to the oval office. The dog kept his nose to the ground, then perked up, his ears flattening. He stalked to a corner, and stopped just before going around it. Sharp walked up behind him, and pressed against the wall, the others doing the same behind him.

Sharp peeked around the corner, then snapped his head back. _Multiple hostiles._ He silently signaled. _Recommend different path_.

 _Negative. Move forward_. Noble gestured back. Sharp hesitated, then nodded. He went prone, and crawled across the floor to the other wall. Irish went prone, and followed. As he went by, he glanced down the hall and let out a sharp gasp. The dozens of zombies standing in the hall heard and snapped their heads to spot their new prey. Irish quickly got behind the wall with Sharp, but it was too late. The zombies started running for them.

"Move! Move! Move!" Yelled Noble. The team took off down the hall, the zombies close behind. Runners untangled from the horde and dashed towards their prey. Viper aimed her dual SMGs and shot them down, and then was tackled by a runner who jumped out from behind a curtain. Irish saved her by kicking it's head and blowing it's head away with his shotgun. They all ran for their lives. They almost ran past the hallway they needed to go down, but the dog took off down it, politicians' scents detected. They followed, and caught sight of the oval office door, two secret service agents dead with their guns aimed at their own heads, the doorway blockaded.

"Irish, help me with this blockade! Sharp, Viper, hold those things off!" Noble shouted over the moaning and growling of the zombies.

Sharp aimed his DMR and shot the monsters alongside Viper. "The heads, aim for the heads!" Sharp shouted over the gunfire.

They heard Irish scream, and they turned in horror. One of the Service agents hadn't completely destroyed his brain, and was tearing out Irish's shoulder. He shoved it off, and blasted its head apart. He stared at his shoulder in horror, then put his gun to his head and fired.

Viper smacked Sharp's arm, drawing his attention back to the horde. A runner dashed towards them, and Sharp grabbed it and stabbed it, then chucked the body into the horde. He drew his knife and slashed at their heads.

Noble yanked aside the last table blocking the doors, and threw them open, and was then smacked in the face by thrown staplers, mugs, and various office appliances. Sharp and Viper ran into the room and pulled him in, shutting the doors and holding them closed as the zombies banged on the doors.

While they busied themselves with blocking the doors, Noble addressed the frightened politicians. "Everyone calm down." He said. He had red marks where he had been hit in the face by the objects. "We're here to get you out of here. Just stay calm and stay with us, and you'll be fine."

Hillary Clinton walked up to him. "Thank you, soldiers. We've been stuck in here for two days."

Noble nodded, and looked around the room. "Where is the Secretary of Defense?"

"Dead." Clinton responded. "Ashton died right after communications cut out between us and the Pentagon. He turned, and we had to…" She faltered, then regained her composure. "Anyway, as you can see there are only seven of us left. Me, my husband, John, his wife, and some workers."

Noble nodded. He switched on the radio. "Fortress, this is Tombstone. We have reached the President and the Secretary of State, but the Secretary of defense is dead. We've lost Irish."

The voice crackled on. "Madame President and the Secretary are still your top priority, Noble. Move out."

"Roger that. But, there's a problem. We're trapped in the Oval Office, there's a horde outside the doors, and we can't go out the window."

"Figure it out, Tombstone. We need our leaders."

"Yessir. We'll get the job done."

Sharp walked up to him. "Door is secured, sir. Only way they're getting through is one of the big ones."

Noble nodded in appreciation. "Good work. Now we need to find a way out of here."

"There is a way, but we've been to afraid to try it." Clinton interjected. "There's a secret passage way out of here that only I have the key to, but it leads out into the streets."

"Doesn't matter, we just need to avoid the horde outside. Where is it?"

Clinton walked over to a bookshelf, and gestures towards it. Sharp and Noble moved it aside, to reveal a camera and panel with a card swiper. Clinton stepped in front of the panel. She simultaneously placed her hand on the panel, positioned her eyes in front of the camera, and swiped a card she pulled out of her jacket.

The machines scanned her eyes and hand, and then the wall clicked and moved aside to reveal a passageway.

Noble grinned. "Very nice. Sharp, take point. Everyone else follow him. Viper and I will bring up the rear. Move out."

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 _ **(Listen to "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons here.)**_

They moved through the passageway, dusty but surprisingly no cobwebs, or pests of any kind. The passageway had been sealed up tight.

After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the end. Sharp leaned his ear against the door, but heard nothing. It was soundproofed.

He moved aside so Hillary could activate the door. As soon as it started opening he pushed her back behind him. He tentatively stepped out the door. He looked around, they were a little ways from the capitol building, he could see it's top. No zombies in sight. He signaled for the others to follow him. Noble jogged up to the front to meet him. "Keep a sharp eye out. We're vulnerable out here." He whispered.

"Already am, sir. And he's keeping his nose up." Sharp said, nodding at his dog. As he said this, the dog's ears flattened. He bared his teeth and aimed his body towards the end of the street. Zombies started appearing, shuffling towards the group. Viper came up to the front, and the three of them prepared for battle. But the zombies kept coming. Then runners detached from the group, and dashed towards them.

"Run!" Noble shouted. Sharp dispatched the runners as they ran in the opposite direction and then took off with them.

"Fortress, this is Tombstone! We have departed Olympus, we are in the streets! We need extraction!"

"Roger that, Noble. Extraction inbound. Get to the capitol building, Phoenix will meet you there." The voice said.

"Get to the capitol building! Go! Go! Go!" Noble shouted. They ran through the streets, gunning down any zombies they came across. A zombie stumbled into their path with huge bulges all over it's body. It was quivering, and ran towards them.

"That one explodes! Evade!" shouted Sharp. The boomer reached Bill Clinton, and the dog leaped and tackled the former president out of harm's way right before it exploded. It caught one of the workers in the explosion, and she fell to the ground dead, half her face blown off.

Viper kicked away a runner and gunned down a group. Then she paled. "I'm out!" She yelled. She grabbed her pistol and started firing. Noble and Sharp were preoccupied with their own zombies. Then Viper screamed as two runners grabbed her and tore apart her chest. Sharp turned and put a bullet in her head to end her misery. Beneath his helmet and mask he had watering eyes. He was losing another family.

As they kept running, they spotted the capitol building. They dashed towards it. They reached the fence, and one by one Sharp helped the remaining politicians over. All who were left were the Clintons and John Kerry along with a single worker. Sharp threw the dog over, and then hopped the fence. "Commander, come on!" He shouted. Noble ran to the fence and hopped over it. Then he was grabbed through the fence, and zombies tore out his shoulder, chomping on it. He tore away, grasping his bleeding arm.

Sharp kneeled down with his commanding officer. "Commander, no." he whispered. After countless missions with his team, all of them surviving, he had just watched them all die at once.

Noble grasped Sharp's arm. "Sharp." he wheezed. "Listen to me. You _have_ to get them to safety. Finish the mission. You're the commander now. Make your country proud."

Sharp grasped Noble's hand. "I will, sir."

Noble smiled, and then stood up. He turned to the fence, and ran for it. As he hopped over, he pulled the pins from all his grenades. As the horde tore into their meal, a huge explosion blew them all to hell.

Sharp gathered himself, and turned to the politicians. He heard the familiar sound of a chopper, and looked to the sky. A transport was carefully lowering itself to the field they were in. As it touched down, the politicians climbed down. As Sharp followed suit, he switched on his radio. "Fortress, this is Sharp. Irish, Viper, and Noble are dead. Madame President and her husband have survived, as has the Secretary. We are heading back now, do you copy?"

The radio was silent for a moment. Then the voice cracked on. "Negative, Sharp." The voice was wheezing in pain. "Fortress has fallen. As has the Pentagon, and everywhere else." Sharp heard the voice vomit. "It's over, Sharp. The U.S. has fallen. Russia has fallen. China has fallen. Everywhere, has fallen." There was the familiar moaning in the background, followed by gunshots. "Find somewhere safe, Sharp. Survive. Fortress out." Then silence.

Sharp stared at the radio, then fell into the seat. It was over. The mission had failed. His team had died for nothing.

He heard a cough. He glanced up at the president. "Sharp, is it? Though we have fallen, know that your friends were brave. They will be honored."

Sharp didn't respond at first. "My name isn't Sharp." He said at last. "It's just my code name. I'm Tristan. This is Diego." He said, petting his dog.

She nodded. Tristan got up and walked to the co-pilot seat. Phoenix was flying aimlessly. "So… what now?" He asked.

"Head for Fortress. We'll clear out any zombies in there. People need hope, and they'll get it if their leaders find a way to contact them."

"Whatever you say, Sharp." Phoenix replied. He steered the chopper, when Diego started barking. Tristan ran back, and he paled. A huge truck had been thrown into the air and was sailing right for the chopper. He leapt into the cockpit and yanked the pilot controls away, barely avoiding the head on collision with the truck. But it still took off their tail, and they started spinning for the ground.

"Everyone, when I say jump, do it!" Tristan yelled. They were getting dangerously close to the ground. He waited a second then shouted, "JUMP!" He leapt out of the chopper with Diego, and the politicians followed. Phoenix wasn't so lucky. As he struggled in his seat, the chopper hit a building and exploded in a blinding fireball.

Tristan and Diego, trained in bailing exploding vehicles, stood up relatively unscathed. He cringed as Bill and Hillary stood up, scraped and bloody. John Kerry stumbled to his knees, the worker was dead.

Then a massive roar rang out, and one of the huge zombies barreled in, scooping up the president and her husband and smashing them against the ground. It tore off their heads, then smashed the Secretary.

Tristan and Diego hid behind nearby debris, holding their breath.

The tank finished its meal, and didn't detect Tristan and Diego. It ran off, looking for new prey, and Tristan exhaled, Diego following suit.

He had failed. He and Diego were all that were left. He let this sink in, and then let everything hit him. His team was dead, his family turned and shot by him, his boyfriend of six years dead, the failed mission, the fact that humans were no longer on top, that the world had fallen. That he and Diego were alone.

He _felt_ his mind snap. He felt the rage boil up inside him, all the anger and sadness mixing and forming pure fury at the walking dead. He screamed in anguish, and grabbed his gun. He jumped up from his hiding spot, and roared. He saw a group of zombies, and shot them all down. A runner ran towards him, and he punched it to the ground and curb stomped it's head. A boomer came around a corner, and he shot it. He drew his knife and slashed at the zombies who came up behind him. He heard the moaning behind him, and whipped around, firing his pistol. He put down the entire horde before it got near him. He ejected the clip to his pistol, then his DMR, and reloaded both within a second. He stalked down the street, putting bullets in the heads of all the zombies. All the while as Diego watched, concerned for his master, and friend.

Tristan started laughing, killing anything that moved. His eyes flashed with insanity, as he mowed down the hordes. He stabbed heads, shot them, never getting close to being touched. He made his way back to the Capitol building. The scorch marks from Noble's sacrifice were still visible. The zombies growled as he marched towards them, trying in vain to reach him as he gunned them down.

Then a sound snapped him back to reality. A girl was on top of a truck, screaming to get away from the zombies. Tristan stared for a moment, then ran over, shooting down the zombies. He whirled around to see five of them directly behind him, when Diego tackled one, and ripped the arm off another. He clawed at the chest of one, and bit down on it's skull. Tristan turned his attention back to the girl as his loyal companion covered his back. He disposed of the rest of the zombies, and helped the girl down. His ears were ringing, and he barely heard her explain that she had been separated from her family. He stared as she tried to get him to respond, then ran away, probably off to find her family.

After she left, he sat down on a bench, the corpses littering the streets. He closed his eyes, grabbing at his thoughts, trying to regain himself. He had slipped into insanity, but he refused to lose himself. His eyes shot open, Diego was laying on the bench next to him. He stood up and headed for a motorcycle with a sidecar nearby.

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1 day, 14 hours later…

Tristan pulled into the driveway. He hopped off the bike, Diego hopping out of the sidecar. He reached the front door, and felt under the mat for the spare key.

He stepped into the house, and looked around. The pictures of him and Daniel, the mementos from their travels. He went up the stairs to the room that they had shared, shedding his gear as he went. He slipped into the closet in his boxers. After a minute he emerged, carrying an armload of clothes.

He put on his undershirt, then strapped on his military bulletproof vest. He slipped a thin second shirt over that. He changed his boxers, then slipped into his worn, tough jeans. He put on his black fuzz socks, and his black combat boots with the steel toes. He looped the leather belt through his jeans, adding the gun holster and knife scabbard. He slid into his familiar, worn, black bullhide leather jacket. He put on his black leather biking gloves, and wrapped the black leather chaps around his jeans. He grabbed his hiking satchel and put it around him. He wiped away the black guyliner he wore that Daniel loved so much. Diego walked in carrying the case in his mouth. Tristan popped it open to reveal his Dragunov SVDS, which he placed next to his Mk 12 SPR. He placed his SEAL team S37 knife in it's scabbard, and his custom Beretta M9 pistol in the holster. He picked up his precious katana he had custom made in Japan, and slung it on his back. He admired himself in his mirror, something was missing. What felt like an eternity ago he had dressed up as Indiana Jones for a halloween party Daniel took him too. He found the fedora, and placed it on his head.

He looked at himself. He looked into his own eyes in the mirror, and saw his broken soul. But he couldn't give up, not now. He had realized that after he had saved that woman. He still had a purpose in this hellish world, the same one he had always had, the reason he joined the marines. To protect, to serve, to deal justice, to fight for what was right. He vowed to himself that he would dedicate his life to fighting this plague, and to help and protect anyone who needed it. He looked at his loyal companion, wagging his tail. He kneeled down and scratched his ears, and worked on fortifying his outfit. He wrapped leather around his large body, placing toeless dog boots on him. He wrapped his military armor around him, and admired his dog. He and Diego would work together to keep good and hope in this new world. No matter the cost.

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And there you have it. Review, let me know not how I did with not just your character, but all the stories. Next, THE MERGE. Dun dun dunnnnnn!


	10. The Merge

Hello loyal readers! The merge is finally here! Along with this good news is the sad news that from the next chapter on, OC's will die. Not in every chapter, of course, but still. By the way, if your OC does die, feel free to send in a second OC. But I will only allow one living OC per person. And I'm a hypocrite because I have three :D. Anyway, _**THE MERGE!**_

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Alice woke up, yawning. She had had another nightmare, it looked like no one else was up yet. She got up, and saw that Tristan's bag was empty. _He must be outside_. She thought. She walked out, and sure enough, Tristan was cooking something over a fire. Breakfast.

"Hi Tristan." She said, walking up to him. He smiled at her and gave a little wave. She sat on the ground with him as he cooked. He was humming to himself. "What are you singing?"

He smiled. "God Bless The USA, by Lee Greenwood. Amazing song, and makes me feel patriotic." He cleared his throat. Then started softly started sing. "If tomorrow all my things were gone, I worked for all my life. And I had to start again, with just my children and my wife. I'd thank my lucky stars, to be living here today. Because the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that awaaaaay." Alice smiled as his voice rose. "And I'm proud to be an American! Where at least I know I'm free! And I won't forget, the men who died! Who gave that right to me! And I'll gladly stand up! Next to you to defend her still today. Because there ain't no doubt, I love this laaaand! God bless, the U.S.A!"

Alice giggled. "I like hearing you sing."

He smiled. "Thanks. I enjoy singing for people."

She watched him cook for awhile. "Hey, Tristan?"

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Are you my new daddy?" She asked.

The question caught him off guard. "Uh… kind of, yeah. I guess. I'm… more like a foster parent now. Or whatever they're called."

She nodded. "Ok, cuz I didn't like my old one very much." She said.

"How come?" He asked, prodding the flames.

She hesitated. "I'm not allowed to talk about it."

He tensed at this. Visibly. "Not allowed?"

Alice panicked. She had broken the rule. She wasn't allowed to talk about what happened at home. "I'm sorry, I can't say anything." She whimpered.

Tristan's eyes had darkened. "Alice, you can talk to me. I'm your friend."

Alice shook her head. "I'm not allowed."

She didn't hear him move. Then she felt him turn her to him. "Alice." He said, looking her in the eye. "Did your dad hit you?"

She didn't move, didn't confirm or deny it. After a while she slowly nodded.

"Did he hit mommy too?" He asked.

Alice nodded again, tears coming to her eyes. She wasn't supposed to be doing this.

"Did he… do anything else?" He asked, his voice shaky.

She thought. "He was mean, he hurt mommy more than me. He would send me outside whenever he said they had to have a talk."

"Did he do anything worse than hitting?" He asked. Even Alice could tell he was working to control his voice.

"He would take broken beers and cut us." She whimpered. She hesitated, and then slid her shirt sleeve down to reveal the scar.

Tristan ran his finger over it. It was jagged, and deep. He muttered under his breath. Alice started crying, then she felt his powerful arms wrap around her. "I'm so sorry, Alice. Nobody should ever have to go through that." He whispered. Alice wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for awhile. Then he pulled away. "Your father is lucky the zombies got to him before I did." He said. "You're ok with me, safe from him. You'll never have to live in fear of him again." he said, smiling.

Alice smiled back. "Thank you." She said.

He nodded. "Of course. Wanna help me make breakfast?"

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The blue mustang and the APC drove side by side. They had been together a week, and now they were becoming close. They stopped when they reached a gas station. They all got out. John and Jaina went to secure the inside along with Ryan and Alec. The rest started extracting what fuel they could from the pumps.

John, Ryan, Alec and Jaina came out of the station with armloads of food. They loaded it into the two vehicles.

Alec walked over to Connor, who was trying to siphon gas out of the pump. "Here." He said, taking the hose. "Let me." He worked out the gas into the can, filling it up after a minute.

The others filled up their tanks, and started pouring the gas into the vehicles. Then they went on their way.

Connor was riding in the mustang with Alec, Ryan, and Natalie. Rachel was in the APC.

Connor kept glancing sideways at Alec. Only his brother knew he was bi, and normally he just focused on surviving, but his eyes kept landing on Alec. His bright eyes, his raven hair…

Then the APC halted, Ryan slamming on the brakes to stop with them. They got out, John was walking over to a man on the side of the road. No, not a man, a boy in his teens. He looked severely dehydrated.

Ryan ran over and offered his canteen, which the boy accepted gratefully. After he chugged the water down, he gasped for air. He coughed, and the others barely heard him whisper, "Thank you." Before passing out.

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After breakfast Tristan walked out of the RV with a dagger, shaving.

Sakura stared at him. "Don't you need a mirror? Or at least a proper razor?" She asked.

"Nope." He answered. He flicked the knife, the hairs falling to the ground. He grinned, finished, no cuts to be seen. "Been doing this for years."

He reached behind his back and pulled out two pistols. "Alice, David, come here." He called. After they ran over, he placed one in each of their hands. "It's time you two learn how to operate these. I've set up some targets over at the edge of the parking lot."

David looked at Alice, then Tristan. "Why is she learning?"

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "Because I would prefer you _both_ know how to defend yourselves."

"But girls can't fight." David said.

Tristan raised his other eyebrow in shock, Sakura turned around and stared at him. "Is that so?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah. My dad said so." David replied.

Tristan sighed. "What the hell was up with the adults in that bunker?" He muttered. "David, never underestimate someone's skill just because they're a woman. It's ignorant, and frankly just flat out stupid. There are women all throughout history who could fight, and very well at that. Joan of Arc was a total badass, and I had a woman in my squad, and she was an awesome shot. And you've seen Sakura fight."

David shook his head. "No I haven't."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "But when we fought the bandits… You were in the RV. And you weren't with us when we found James." He glanced sideways at Sakura who was visibly irritated by David's remarks. Tristan grinned when he got an idea. "Sakura, hit me." He said.

Sakura looked at him in shock. "What?"

He turned to face her. "Hit me. Right here." He tapped his nose. "Come on."

Sakura stared at him. "I'm not punching you."

"Why?" He asked. He grinned and lightly punched her arm. "C'mon, hit me."

She shook her head. "Tristan, no. I'm not gonna…"

He started punching her arm again. And again, a little harder. "Come on, it's easy. Hit me."

She was starting to get irritated. "Tristan, you're pissing me off."

He kept at it. "Hit me. Come on, hit… Ack!" Everyone heard a loud _crack!_ as Sakura's fist connected with his nose, and he fell to the ground.

Sakura covered her mouth. "Tristan, I'm so… Are you laughing?"

He stood up laughing, his nose bent and blood coming out. " _That_ was one hell of a punch! Nice!" He grabbed his nose and snapped it back into place. He turned to a slack jawed David. "Still think girls can't fight?" He slowly shook his head. "Good. Now let's start the lesson."

As the kids headed over to the targets, Sakura grabbed Tristan's shoulder. "Are you sure you're ok?" She asked. "Your nose is still bleeding."

He smiled, and wiped away the blood. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. It'll stop bleeding soon." He flashed a grin at her, and then headed for the targets to start the lesson.

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The group set up camp once they reached the city of Atlanta. They cleared out a small hotel, and they selected three ground floor rooms. They placed the teen on one of the beds. His eyes fluttered open, and he groaned, rubbing his eyes. He went wide eyed when he saw the group standing around the bed.

"Who are you?" asked John. Straight to the point.

"Adrian." He rasped. He coughed, then spoke again, more clearly this time. "My name is Adrian. Thank you for saving me."

"No problem, sweetie." Rachel said. "How did you end up on the side of the road like that?"

He shook his head to remember. "I-I got separated from my family. Well, not so much separated as they got eaten." He said. Tears formed in his eyes. "Oh, God, they're dead." He planted his face into his hands.

Alec patted his shoulder. "It's alright, kid, we've all been there."

He shook his head. "I… I'm on my own now. What am I going to do? I can't survive on my own!"

"You could join us." Josh piped up.

John sighed. "We're taking on too many people." He said. "We already have eight people."

"He's a kid, John. What's the harm in letting him join us?" Jaina argued.

"I'm sure he'll earn his keep." Ryan said. "You don't survive out here for five years without having skills."

Adrian stared hopefully at John. He sighed. "Fine." He said.

They started fortifying the rooms for the night. The guys slept in one room, the girls in the other. Adrian slept in the third room.

The following morning they started driving through the city.

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"Steady, it helps to take a breath before you fire." Tristan said, guiding Alice's arms. She pulled the trigger, and the shot hit the leg of the dummy.

"Not bad, you managed to hit it this time." He teased. He moved to David. "Look down the barrel, this bit on the end is your sight. Use it to aim." He took a deep breath, and fired. He hit the dummy's gut. "Better."

He kept going to each of them, offering pointers and helping them aim. "Steady, you've almost got it." He said to Alice. She took a breath, and squeezed the trigger. The dummy's head snapped back, a hole in the center. "Nice!" Tristan said, clapping her on the back.

She grinned at his praise. Tristan moved to David as she kept practicing. "David, don't squeeze the handle like that. Relax." He steadied his hands. "Fire."

The dummy received another hole in its forehead just below Alice's. "Very good!" Tristan said. "Keep practicing."

He backed away from the kids as they practiced. Diego dashed in front of him, then Corporal close behind. Tristan smiled as he watched the two dogs play. He was grateful that Diego had another dog to play with. He walked over to Sakura, who was talking to her mom. "Hey." He said.

Sakura's mother smiled. "Hello, Tristan. How are the kids doing?"

"Pretty well, actually. They've both managed to get some headshots, now they're practicing." He answered. He sat down with them to watch. "In a little bit we're heading down to Atlanta, we're almost there."

"Why are we going there?" Mrs. Ayaka asked.

Tristan shrugged. "Just going. What I do is I travel, look for survivors, and take them to the closest safe town I know. I go where my gut says to go."

"And right now your gut says head to Atlanta?" Sakura asked.

He nodded. "Yep. I get the feeling we should go there, I feel like we're going to meet someone."

Aaron walked over. "Sakura, Mrs. Ayaka, good morning." He greeted, having just woken up.

Tristan looked at him. "You must have been tired, it's almost noon. You missed breakfast."

Aaron glanced at him. "I was. Tired, I mean."

Tristan smiled. "I saved some leftovers for you, they're in the fridge."

"I'm fine. I don't want it." Aaron replied.

Sakura jumped up. "Then I call dibs." She ran into the RV, Tristan laughing, Aaron scowling.

Tristan noticed his expression. "Cheer up, buttercup. We'll be having lunch soon."

Aaron said nothing, sitting on the other side of Mrs. Ayaka. "How are you, Mrs. Ayaka?"

"Fine, Aaron. How about you?" She answered politely.

"Pretty good." He answered. He looked at the kids. "What are they doing?"

"I'm training them to shoot." Tristan answered. "They've progressed well, right now I'm just letting them practice." He grinned. "I could teach you, too."

Aaron scoffed. "I know how to shoot."

"Really?" Tristan answered. "Mind showing me what you know?"

Aaron glared at him. "Fine." He said.

Tristan and Aaron stood up and walked over to the kids. "Alright guys, take a break. Aaron's gonna show us his mad skillz." He turned to Aaron. "That's skillz with a Z."

Aaron ignored him and grabbed the pistol David offered him. Sakura came out of the RV eating the leftovers. She sat down next to her mother. "What's going on?"

"Tristan offered Aaron lessons on firing a gun, Aaron said he already knew, Tristan is calling his bluff." answered the smirking woman. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to this."

Sakura smiled and watched.

Aaron wrapped his hands around the grip. "Interesting grip." Tristan commented. "Never seen anyone hold a gun like that before."

Aaron ignored him, and held his arms rigid. "That's going to hurt with the rec…"

"I know what I'm doing." Aaron snapped. He aimed, and fired the gun, yelping as the shot went askew and the recoil hit. He glared as Tristan worked to suppress a laugh. Without thinking, he blurted. "Let's see you do it if you're so good."

Tristan raised an eyebrow, and without looking he drew his pistol and fired sideways. The shot hit home, the dummy's head snapping back, a fresh hole dead center in its forehead. "I told you I'd be happy to teach you." He said.

Aaron only scowled, standing up and walking back into the RV. Tristan sighed, then walked over to the dummy. The head was riddled with bullet holes, the kids had done well. He tossed it onto his shoulder and carried it back to the trunk of the RV. He threw it in, then headed inside. "Alright, people, let's move out. Atlanta isn't far."

James, Ella, Amber, and Aaron got into Ella's 67 Impala. Everyone else got into the RV. Ella's leg had improved, and now she was driving. Sakura hopped onto the driver couch next to Tristan, and they all drove off to the city.

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Alec had taken over for Ryan, he was in the back with Natalie.

"So, what did you do in the old world? I mean, I know Alec was a thief, but what did you do?" He asked.

"I had a part time job at a fast food joint, minimum wage. Wasn't enough to keep us going, so Alec stole to keep us provided. I mainly had the job so that people wouldn't get suspicious when we managed to stay in a crappy apartment in New York." She answered. "Alec's heists were our main income."

"Ah." He said. "You guys ever get caught or anything?"

"We came close. People got suspicious, police came, we always ran. Thing is, with all the crime in New York, especially where we lived, petty thieves weren't of much concern to the cops, so we weren't actively searched for."

Ryan nodded. He and Rachel hadn't exactly been well off either, but at least they didn't have the police after them. Their father never called the police about them running away, probably because he knew he could get in trouble with the way he treated them. Unfortunately, he wasn't stupid.

Adrian was in the front with Alec. "Hey, I appreciate you guys taking me in. I was worried I'd be on my own."

"No problem, kid." Ryan said, smiling. "By the way, didn't catch your age."

"15." He answered. Ryan grimaced. This kid had been out here since he was 11. That must have been terrifying.

The APC next to them started slowing down, and Alec stopped the RV. They all got out. They were in front of an old factory, the street seemed deserted.

John was examining the APC. He turned to Ryan. "Something broke, I'm not sure what."

Ryan nodded. "I'll have a look at it." He crawled under the vehicle to search for the problem. After a few minutes, John heard an engine that wasn't theirs. He turned around. An RV was coming, at least he thought it was an RV. It had metal sheets covering the sides, a machine gun on top, and one of those things on the front of trains used to move cattle or whatever out of the way. He felt his sleeve being tugged, and turned to see a pale Adrian. "Listen to me, the guy that owns that RV? He can't see me!"

John raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Adrian hesitated. "Well, see, he… he's a bad guy. Very very bad. Killed everyone in a group I was with. He raped one of the women in my group. Kills kids. He tried to kill me, but I fooled him and escaped. He's the one in the fedora, has a mean dog with him."

John scowled in the direction of the approaching RV. "Go hide." He growled.

Adrian nodded frantically. He ran and hid under the APC.

The RV arrived, and stopped. An Impala pulled up next to it. The doors to each opened, and a few people came out. First an asian girl with red hair, a tall olive skinned man, and then the man Adrian had described, a huge doberman behind him.

The man in the fedora approached him, a smile on his face. "Hey there." He greeted. Friendly. John wasn't fooled, plenty of bandits and criminals acted nice. "Something wrong with your APC?"

John raised an eyebrow. "You know what this is?"

He grinned. "I was in the military, Navy SEALS. I know my stuff. I have some experience with them, need some help?"

John narrowed his eyes. "Not from you."

The man's smile faltered. Connor came up behind his brother. "Don't mind him. He's just cranky. We actually could use some help, we have a guy under there already."

The man nodded. "Sure thing." He went to go under, when John stepped in front of him. "I think it would be best if you moved along."

He was at the same height as the man. And he wasn't intimidated. "If you have a problem with me, then say so." He said. "I'm just trying to help."

Jaina walked up behind John. "Wait, John, I recognize him. Are you Sharp?"

The man looked taken aback. "Yeah, though now I just go by my real name. Tristan."

Jaina smiled. "Your unit was legendary. Tombstone, the best the U.S. had to offer. You were all heroes. It's an honor, sir."

He smiled. "Pleasure's all mine. You have me at a disadvantage."

"Jaina Bekal. I'm a former SEAL myself." She answered.

John stepped between them. "Enough. I said move along."

Tristan glared at him. "What the hell is your problem?"

John got in his face. "I know what you are. Get out of here before I gut you."

"Listen, asshole, I don't know what…" They were interrupted by a bark. The Doberman was standing over by the APC where Adrian had hidden. Tristan had gone rigid. The dog stuck his snout under the vehicle and dragged out a struggling Adrian. "You!" Tristan shouted. He shoved John aside and ran over, picking up Adrian and shoving him against the vehicle. "How the fuck are you still alive?!" He angrily shouted.

Then he felt a fist connect with his cheek. His head snapped to the side, and he fell to the ground he kicked out as John went down to pin him, and rolled to his feet. Adrian struggled to his feet and ran. "Sakura!" Tristan shouted. "Stop him!" Sakura ran to intercept him, and Tristan turned to John.

He recognized John's wrestling stance. He went on the defensive, doing his best to block John's punches and swipes. He kicked out at his knee, and got John into a headlock.

Big mistake. John expertly threw him over his shoulder to the ground and rammed his elbow into Tristan's side.

Tristan grunted in pain, and pulled his opponent to the ground, docking him in the jaw. John shrugged it off and got up with Tristan, and threw a punch. Tristan grabbed his fist and pulled him in close to elbow his face. John ignored the pain in his nose and grabbed Tristan's shoulders, struggling to get him down. Everyone else was aiming their guns at each other, shouting in a stand off.

Then the dog tackled John. He snapped his jaws as John blocked him with an arm against the dog's throat. He shoved the dog away, only to have a steel toe connect with his jaw. Pain exploded across his face as he held his jaw. It wasn't broken, thank God, but it hurt like hell.

Tristan stalked over to Adrian, and as he grabbed him and lifted him into the air John drew his pistol. "Put him down." He growled.

Tristan turned to him. "Tell me, which sob story did he feed you?"

John hesitated. "What?"

Tristan glared at Adrian. "Who was he with this time? His sick grandmother, his defenseless baby brother, his loving girlfriend, or his dear family?"

John lowered the pistol. "Family. What are you getting at?"

"And where did you find him? Dehydrated by the road? Covered in blood from a horde of zombies he barely escaped? Or did he just run into the road waving his arms?"

John was staring at Adrian, who was visibly sweating, and pale. "Dehydrated by the road."

"This is how this shitstick survives. He makes people in groups feel sorry for him, take him in, and then takes off with their stuff in the middle of the night." Tristan growled. "I happened to be transporting a group to a town, and we came across him on the side of the road, needing water. Said his sick grandmother had been bitten. Then he tried taking off with our stuff. I caught him, and threw him over a bridge. I asked around other towns in the area, turns out they all had the same story." He turned to Adrian. "What _I_ wanna know is how you survived."

Adrian swallowed. "I-I managed to grab a b-branch on the side of the r-river."

John scowled. "You little…"

"We trusted you!" Exclaimed Ryan, outraged.

"I'm sorry!" Adrian cried.

"Are you even 15?" Alec asked.

Tristan barked a short laugh. "He's 18."

Adrian looked around the faces, trying to find an ally, and failing. Tristan shoved him to the ground and pointed his pistol in his face. "This time I'll make sure you stay dead."

He got on his knees, and moved into prayer position. "P-Please, don't kill me! I w-won't do it anymore! I promise! I-I'll change!" Tears were streaming down his face as he stammered out his apology.

"For fucks sake, take it like a man. Die with some dignity." Tristan growled.

Ella walked up behind him. "Tristan, I get that it's a shitty thing to do, but do we need to kill him?"

Tristan turned to her. "Unfortunately there's no prison in the world now. And he doesn't just steal from people. He's caused groups to turn on each other, and who knows how many people have died because he took their food and weapons?" He returned his attention to the sniveling boy in front of him. "Hear that, asshole? People have _died_ because of you!"

He cowered at his words. "I-I didn't mean to make them die! That was never my intention…"

"You _knew_ that what you were doing was killing people. And you kept doing it. In my book that makes you a murderer." Tristan interrupted.

Adrian said nothing. Sakura walked up behind Ella. "Tristan, he's a kid. Honestly, I agree with you, but we're the good guys. We can easily take him to a good town, they usually have their own prisons there."

"I think we should kill him." John said. "I agree with Tristan, he's a murderer."

Ella turned to him. "And this isn't?"

"It's justice." Tristan said.

Rachel walked over with Natalie. "Guys, we're not the enforcers of justice out here. I think we should go with Sakura's idea."

"I am justice out here." Tristan said. "I've dedicated my life to protecting the innocent, and killing the guilty. And this prick is guilty."

As the group debated, Connor and Josh siding with the girls, Alec and Jaina siding with the others, Alice and David peeked their heads out of the RV to see Tristan aiming his pistol at a crying boy and everyone yelling. She had only been with Tristan for a short time, but she already looked up to him as a hero. She didn't understand why he wanted to kill a kid. She ran over and grabbed his arm, causing him to look down. "Stop!" She shouted, and everyone to stop arguing. She looked up at Tristan. "What's going on?" She asked.

"This man has killed people, Allie. Innocent people." He answered.

"No, people died because of my actions, it's different. Little girl, Allie? You have to help me! I'm… Ack!" Tristan pistol whipped his head.

"Shut up." He growled. "Allie, he's done some very bad things."

Allie looked at the barely conscious Adrian. "Can't he just go to prison?" She asked.

Sakura raised her arms. "That's what I'm saying."

Tristan looked back at Alice. His hand lowered. He wanted to be a good role model for the kids, but the prick deserved it. But still…

He sighed, and holstered his gun. He turned to Adrian. "We're taking you to a town I know of. They despise people like you, and you'll be imprisoned for the rest of your life if you're lucky."

Adrian paled. He wanted to argue, but realized this was better than death. He nodded, and let himself be picked up and led to the door of the RV. Then he whipped around and jammed a knife into Tristan's side. His grip weakened, and Adrian pried himself from his arm and dashed for the nearest building. He got two meters when his head exploded from being shot multiple times all at once. John, Ryan, Tristan, Sakura, and Jaina had all shot him at the same time.

Alice and David's mouths hung open, and Tristan guided them back into the RV.

When he came back out, James and Rachel both came up to him. They both had medical experience, and between the two of them patched him up quickly.

Both groups were silent. Then John broke the silence. "Sorry." Was all he said.

Tristan shook his head. "Don't be. You weren't the first group that weasel deceived. Thankfully you were the last."

Everyone was silent again. Then Tristan stood up. "Well, I guess I should introduce myself. Tristan." He stretched his hand out to John, who shook it. "John." He replied.

Tristan smiled. "I'd still be happy to help with your APC." He offered.

John nodded. "Sure. Thanks."

Tristan crawled under the vehicle with Ryan so they could fix it. Meanwhile the others started conversing.

"I like your hair." Natalie complimented Sakura.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks."

No hard feelings kept, they all got along pretty well. After a while Tristan crawled out with Ryan, and Ryan announced that the APC was fixed.

Everyone headed for their respective group's vehicles, when they heard a roar. And everyone recognized it.

The side of a building across the street exploded outwards, and a huge hulking creature barreled through towards the survivors. "RUN!" Tristan shouted. Alice and David ran out of the RV and followed everyone through the old factory doors.

"Go! Go! Go!" John shouted. They all ran up rickety metal stairs to the second level right as the wall exploded and the tank ran inside. Alice gasped. It was huge, the size of a monster truck. Its skin bulged with muscle, the eyes grey and filled with hunger and rage. You could barely tell it used to be human. It was deformed, contorted, hunchbacked. It roared again, and jumped up and grabbed the ledge to the second floor and hauled itself up. It was met with gunfire, as Tristan, John, and Jaina held it back while the others ran. It ignored the gunfire, the bullets bouncing off its mutated skin. It ran for them, and the three of them rolled out of the way. It turned and barreled towards the rest of the group, who were one by one helping each other up to the third floor.

Josh was the last one, and he screamed as the Tank grabbed him. It smashed him against the ground, then shoved him into its mouth. It chewed, blood running down its rotting face, bones crunching.

Tristan drew his DMR, and fired at the head. The bullets did nothing but infuriate the beast further, as it charged for Tristan. He ran and leapt off the side of the broken floor, grabbing onto a pipe, suspending himself over the twenty foot drop. The Tank turned its attention to Jaina who ran for the ledge where the others had climbed to the second floor. It was faster, and quickly caught up to her. She moaned in horror as it went to grab her, when John started shooting its head, drawing its attention.

It ran for him, and as it passed where Tristan had jumped he swung and landed on the back of the beast. It started lurching, Tristan holding on for dear life. He drew his knife and jammed it into the monster's eye. It roared, and bucked, throwing him off. He landed on the cement floor, the wind knocked out of him. He gasped for air as the beast made its way over to him.

Sakura came to the rescue. She dropped down from a hole in the third floor, landing on its back. She started hacking at its neck with her katana, slowly making a gash.

Tristan recovered his air, and scrambled to his feet, and ran to help. The Tank lurched and bucked, trying to shake off Sakura. She gripped onto its head, giving everything to stay on. It ran for the side wall, and Sakura paled as she realized it was going to try and crush her against the wall. As it got closer, she turned and jumped off, freefalling, then landed unharmed. Tristan had dived and she had landed on top of him, once again his wind knocked out. He coughed, then got up with Sakura. "Thanks for the save." She said.

Tristan grinned. "No problem." He wheezed. The Tank reminded them of it's presence with another resounding roar. It wasn't going down. Tristan looked around, then his eyes lit up. Through the hole, he spotted small propane tanks on a shelf on the third floor. "JAMES!" He shouted.

James ran over to the side. "What?!" He called down.

"I need you to get one of those propane tanks, and throw it directly at the tank! Now!"

James nodded, and ran for the shelf. He motioned for Alec and Ryan to follow him. They worked together to lug the heavy tank over to the ledge. Down below, Jaina, Sakura, John, and Tristan were still distracting the monster. James waved to get Tristan's attention, and he nodded in confirmation that he saw them. The three of them, picked up the tank, and together, chucked it at the head of the Tank.

Time seemed to slow down, the tank spinning in the air towards the enraged Tank. Tristan aimed his DMR, waited, waited… waited… and fired. A huge explosion erupted right next to the Tank's head, and everyone ran and ducked for cover from the flying shrapnel and fire.

As the smoke cleared, the Tank lay on the ground, half its head gone. Everyone took a moment to process this, and then cheered. They had won.

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Everyone made their way back to the vehicles. Everyone was giddy, probably from the adrenaline and the fact that they were all alive. Most of them, at least.

Tristan had retrieved what he could of Josh from the factory. All he could get was his old police badge and some of his uniform. John, Jaina, and Connor dug a small hole in the ground, and placed these into the miniature grave, and paid their respects to their fallen comrade.

After they finished, they headed over to the group. John was approached by Tristan. "Hey." He greeted. "Just wanted to thank you for helping us in there."

John nodded. "Of course. The world needs as many good people as it can get, I wasn't going to let some of them die."

Tristan smiled at this. "Hey, listen, my group and I were thinking, why don't we all stay together? We did pretty good as a team in there."

Jaina and Connor grinned at the idea. "That sounds awesome." Connor said.

John considered his words. After a minute he nodded. "Sure, why not. Our group was getting a little crowded anyway."

Tristan smiled, and nodded. He headed for the rest of the group to share the good news.

Review! The group is now together! Yay!


	11. Getting To Know Each Other

Hello again readers. Time for the next fabulous chapter of this fabulous story. Sorry again for the long wait, but school is finally over, and I can begin focusing on my stories! So heeeere weeee go!

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 _July 29th, 2024. It has been 12 days since I found Alice and David, 11 since I found Sakura, Ella, and Aaron, 6 since I found James and Sakura's family, and we met the rest yesterday. We've formed our own little group. Never thought I'd actually be a part of one of those. I like most of these people. So far I haven't scared anyone away. Not sure if that's good or not, I try to be a scary guy so people don't fuck with me. But it's nice to have… Friends. Huh._

 _This journal is still mainly to keep track of the dates, and to keep my mind occupied so I don't slip back into insanity's sweet embrace. Heh. I sounded like a poet or something just there._

 _Alice and David are becoming pretty decent shots. I'll start training them on survival skills today. You know… Well, you don't know since you're a journal. Unless you're a person reading this after I died. Hey person reading this, fuck off. This is personal. Anyway, skills like knowing which plants are edible, cooking, building fires, shelter, and…_

Tristan's head snapped up at the sound of yawning. Someone was waking up. He finished quickly and stuffed the battered brown book in the safe behind his God of War poster, peeling it back a second to toss it in.

It was James, camped out on the drivers couch. Since the group had formed, some people alternatively slept in the RV and APC. Those people being Aaron, James, Alec, Natalie, and Sakura and her family. Tristan and the kids always slept in the RV, Ella slept in her Impala with her dog, Ryan and Rachel slept in their mustang. Last night James, Alec and Aaron had slept in the RV, the others in the APC since it had so much room. Even with the extra vehicles it was cramped. Tristan made a mental note to keep an eye out for a fifth suitable vehicle on their travels.

James stood up and stretched, giving a tired wave to Tristan.

"Hey." Tristan whispered. "You know anything about edible plants and all that?"

James nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"I'd just like some help getting breakfast for everyone."

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Tristan and James geared up and walked outside to see Sakura and John were already up. John was just walking around the small circle they had formed with the vehicles, watching for threats. Sakura was leaning against the APC, reading.

"Morning." James and Tristan called simultaneously.

John nodded in their direction in acknowledgement, then turned his eyes back to the tree line. Sakura stood up and walked over. "Morning guys."

"We're heading out to get some food. Interested in coming with us?" Tristan asked.

Sakura smiled and nodded. John walked over. "Sure." He said.

Tristan nodded. "Alright. Sakura, James, can you two gather plants? John and I will hunt."

They split off and headed into the woods.

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The buck wandered into the clearing, the doe in tow behind him.

The two men walked in silence for awhile, before Tristan broke it. "So, what do you do in your free time?" he asked.

John glanced at him. "What?"

"You know, hobbies, stuff like that. What do you do when you're not focusing on surviving?" Tristan elaborated.

"I don't. You need to stay vigilant. I don't have time for hobbies." He answered.

"Really?" Tristan wondered. "There's nothing at all you like to do?"

"I like to stay alive. People who immerse themselves in pointless activities won't live for long out here." John said, irritated.

"Then why I'm still alive? I read, watch movies, play with my dog, all that fun stuff." Tristan said.

"I don't know, luck." John answered. He stopped, aimed his rifle, and shot another buck that had wandered into the path ahead.

"I don't believe in luck." Tristan said, handing John the burlap sack. "The reason I'm alive is because I'm good at surviving. But that doesn't mean I don't like to have fun."

"No offense, but doing things like that is just idiotic. You say you watch movies? What do you do if a tank runs into the area while you're watching Lord of the Rings or whatever?" John asked.

"I'm not stupid, John. Just because I immerse myself in activities doesn't mean I don't pay attention to my surroundings. You don't be a marine for fourteen years without being attuned to your surroundings. Besides, I take care to make sure I'm not vulnerable before allowing myself to do something fun." He answered.

John didn't answer. He continued walking down the path. After another minute, Tristan spoke up again. "Alright, so you don't have hobbies. But everyone has interests. What kind of things do you like?" John ignored him. "Sports? I recognized that wrestler stance when we fought yesterday."

"I used to be a professional wrestler. Not that fake shit like WWE, but real wrestling." John answered.

"Alright, wrestling. What else? You a geek by any chance? Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Star Wars?" Tristan pried.

John sighed. "Is there a point to this?"

"Yes. I'm trying to get to know you better. If we're going to be in a group, I'd prefer to know more about my group mates. Besides, we already have one grumpy jackass, I don't want another." Tristan answered.

John stared at him for a moment. "I like Star Wars." He said finally.

Tristan grinned. "There we go. So. Prequels. Yay or nay?"

John shrugged. "They were alright. Anakin could have been portrayed better, I preferred the Clone Wars."

"Ohhh, man, that was an awesome show. Honestly, I loved the prequels. Whiny Anakin and Jar Jar aside, I liked the characters and politics and everything a lot."

A ghost of a smile twitched the corners of John's lips. "You a fan of the Mandalorians?" He asked.

"Hell yeah. They're my favorite race in there. Not the New Mandalorians, though, I liked Jango Fett and Jaster and the True Mandalorians. Bad. Ass. I would love to have a set of black and silver mandalorian armor."

John nodded. "Yeah, they're pretty awesome. Open Seasons was awesome."

Tristan grinned. "You know, it was." His face darkened. "Can you believe Disney made all of the EU non canon?"

John scowled. "I know, it sucks. Though I'll admit they did a pretty good job with the new movies."

Tristan nodded, drawing his rifle and shooting another buck. "Yeah. Though I wasn't a fan of Kylo Ren. They could have done a much better job with him." He bagged the buck, slinging the sack over his shoulder. "Well, that's four, that should be more than enough. Let's head back."

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Sakura plunged her hand into the small pond, pulling out the katniss plant, removing the tubers at the bottom an tossing the arrowhead flowers back into the water. As she dried it off, putting the tubes into the bag, James was examining a berry bush. He determined that they were safe, and stripped the bush of the fruit.

Sakura turned her attention back to the water, and spotted some cat tails. She made her way over to them and plucked them from the sides of the water.

As she placed the tails into the bag, she picked it up as James tossed in a handful of some kind of weed. She frowned. "I don't recognize those, what are they?" She asked.

He looked at her. "Amaranth. It's a weed, but if you boil it then it's actually pretty good. So long as you don't drink the water afterwards."

Sakura nodded. "So you know a lot about edible plants and such?"

James nodded as he plucked a chicory plant. "Yeah, I'm not a very good shot, so hunting is pretty hard. I have to rely on traps for meat, so it's invaluable to have the knowledge of what plants can and can't be eaten."

Sakura tossed in some more dandelions, and closed up the sack. "It's full, let's head back.

They headed back down the path. After a few minutes in silence, Sakura nudged James slightly with her elbow. He gave her a questioning glance, and Sakura ever so slightly tilted her head back and then back forward, fast but slow enough that he saw. He turned his head slightly, and in his peripheral vision saw a woman following them in the tree line.

He gave a slight nod to show Sakura he had seen. They walked while longer, the woman following them the entire time. They approached a corner, and after rounding it Sakura silently whirled around, drawing her crossbow. After a few seconds, the woman rounded the corner and yelped, raising her hands.

Sakura and James sized her up. She was kind of short, Sakura guessed 5'3", in a green oversized sweater, jeans. Oddly she had a pair of dog tags hanging around her neck. "Who are you, and why are you following us?" James asked.

"McKenna. My name is McKenna. I was part of a little town when it was burned by bandits. I ran away in time, but I'm alone. I wanted to see if you guys were good, so that maybe I could join your group?" She answered, the last part a question she asked hopefully.

Sakura re examined her. She didn't seem suspicious. And it looked like she was a kid. "How old are you?" She asked.

"17." She answered. She had a pleading look in her eyes.

"Alright, put your hands down. Come with us." Sakura said. "Our camp is just a few minutes away."

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Sakura and James got back first with McKenna. Before they had left, John had woken up Connor to keep watch. In the time they had been gone, Alec, Jaina, Amber, and the kids had woken up. Aaron, Sakura's mother, Ryan, Natalie, and Rachel were all still asleep.

Connor was sitting on top of the APC, talking to Alec. Alice saw them first, and ran up to Sakura. "Where's Tristan?" She asked after giving Sakura's leg a hug.

She smiled. "He's out hunting with John. They'll be back in a bit." She pulled out the amaranth. "James, can you get a pot of water boiling?" She asked.

James nodded, taking the amaranth out of her hands. As he set to work on a fire pit, Tristan and John walked into the clearing, each carrying a burlap sack. "Good morning, everyone." Tristan greeted. He sat his sack down near the fire pit James was working on. He turned to John. "We can work on turning the two you have in there into jerky." He said.

John nodded, and set the sack by the RV. "So, what's the plan for today?" he asked.

"We have a fair amount to do. Stocking back up on the food is a priority, and we need to share our supplies, so we know what we have." James had the fire going, and placed the pot into the fire. "So I'm thinking after breakfast we split into groups around the camp, each group with a job."

"Sounds good to me." John replied. Tristan took the sack by the fire behind the RV to start skinning their breakfast.

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They all had a breakfast of boiled amaranth and deer. Afterwards, Tristan summoned everyone around the fire. He and John and Sakura stood up. "Alright, since we're a team now, we need to work as a team. We have a lot to do today, so we're splitting into groups. Rachel, Jaina, Natalie, Aaron, McKenna, you're all with me. We're going to collect our weapons and do inventory, make sure they're clean, make sure clips are loaded, etc."

"Connor, Alec, Ella, Ryan, James, a couple of the vehicles are having trouble, so we're fixing them up and reinforcing any armor on them.

"Alice, David, Mom, Amber, we're going to go over food and turn the rest of the deer into dried jerky so it'll last. Let's go." Sakura said.

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Tristan led Aaron rachel and McKenna to the trunk of his RV. While Jaina and Natalie went to the APC. He popped it open, and McKenna whistled. The trunk was filled with clips, grenades, a grenade launcher, a USAS 12, and to their surprise an RPG with a single rocket. They gathered everything up, taking it to the center of camp.

Jaina and Natalie came over with duffel bags, dropping them to the ground. Personal weapons aside: Sakura's crossbow and katana, Tristan's katana DMR and Dragunov, John's tomahawk, James's machete axe and knives, Ryan's hunting knives and machete, and Ella's knife and machete, everyone had handed over their weapons for inventory. Tristan started examining the weapons, admiring them, and making sure they were in pristine condition. McKenna started loading clips, Aaron stooping down to join her. Jaina walked around, making a list of the weapons. Ryan had a chainsaw with it's own extra gas tank that he added to the pile, and John had tossed in a high power sniper rifle they had along with the few rounds they had for it.

Jaina's jaw dropped when Tristan put in an anti tank rifle. "Holy shit, where did you get that?!"

He grinned. "Perks of having access to military bases. I only have three rounds for it, though, so it should be saved for emergencies, like that RPG."

She nodded, adding a star on the paper next to the rifle, RPG, and grenade launcher, which only had eight grenades for it.

As they worked, Ryan was heading the operation for fixing the vehicles, Alec and Ella getting him whatever he needed. After a while he slid out from under the APC, a grin on his face. "Found the problem, all taken care of. Let's move on to the RV."

He slid under it to examine the underside. Meanwhile, John and Connor were working on cleaning the armor on the vehicles, and tightening the metal armor. James went inside each vehicle, making sure all the electronics were functioning.

Sakura skinned the deer, oblivious to Alice and David's horror. Amber dried and salted the strips with her mother, while Alice and David made a list of all the food the group had.

All this went on for a few hours. After a while, Sakura came up to Tristan, who was in the middle of cleaning the barrels of the guns. "We've taken inventory, and the deer has been salted and dried. The plants we picked have been separated."

Tristan smiled. "Nice." He looked around the camp. "Seems like everyone else is finishing up." He placed down the gun. "And I have too." he stood up and stretched.

Ryan came up to the two of them. "Hey, Tristan, there's a problem. Ella's car? It has a ruptured fuel injector, and some of the pistons are rusted. I need to swap them out with some new parts, but we don't exactly have any lying around."

Tristan walked to the pile of guns and picked up his pistol, putting it into the holder. "Alright, John and I will take you into the city. There's bound to be some… whatever the hell you said was broken, things, in one of the cars." He said. He waved John over. "Let's head out, I don't know how long this'll take, and I'd rather be back before dark."

John picked his guns from the pile, strapping on his gear. Ryan took the M4.

"Mind if we take your mustang?" Tristan asked. "It's the only other small car we have."

Ryan nodded. "Sure. Let's go."

As they climbed into the mustang, Tristan called the kids over. "We're going out for a bit to get some things. While I'm gone, I want you two to read."

David frowned. "How come?"

"Because I said so. Also, it's important to not just hone your survival skills, but also stimulate and expand your minds. We don't exactly have school anymore, so reading good books is the best I can do for now." He answered. "Go ahead and pick whatever you want from my bookshelf." His brow furrowed. "Actually, have Ella help you out. I have a couple books not suitable for kids."

They nodded. "Okay." Alice said. "What are you getting?"

"A fuel thingy and some… pissed things. Pistons, that's it. Car parts. We'll be back." He said. With that, he climbed into the back seat, Diego hopping in next to him, waving goodbye out the window as they drove off.

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After they left, David and Alice went into the RV to read. Ella came in to help them pick out a couple books that were ok for them, then went back outside. They both sat on the couch and opened their books. As Alice started to read, she felt David get up. "David? What are you doing?" She asked.

David didn't answer, instead reaching under the bed and pulling on something. Alice went over and helped him, and slowly they pulled out a large chest. "I saw it just now, what do you think it is?" He asked.

"Something of Tristan's, that we shouldn't be looking at." She answered.

"But what if it's something cool?" He retorted. He pulled on the lock, but to no avail.

"What are you two doing?" A voice asked. Alice and David whipped around, Alec Sakura, McKenna and Jaina were staring at them.

"We found this chest, and we can't open it." David answered.

"Good. You shouldn't be snooping." Alec said.

"But we wanna know what's inside!" David argued.

"I've seen chests like that before, veterans usually keep war memorabilia in them. Now you know." Alec answered.

Sakura and Jaina's eyes lit up in that. "Alec, you can unlock it." Jaina persuaded. "What's the harm?"

"The harm is that we shouldn't go snooping through other people's things." Alec replied.

"Says the thief." Jaina muttered.

McKenna's eyebrow raised. "Thief?"

"Alec used to be a 'professional thief' as he put it." Jaina said.

Alec scowled, and turned to Sakura. "You understand that this is wrong, right?"

Sakura bit her lip. She _was_ curious. But she considered Tristan a friend, a good one, and it _did_ feel wrong. She chose not to answer.

Jaina punched Alec's shoulder. "C'mon, we'll put it back."

Alec sighed. "Fine. But if he gets pissed off, I'm not taking the blame." He kneeled down and set to work on the lock. After a minute, he got it open. They opened it, and they whistled.

Alec had been right, it was full of war memorabilia. Jaina reached in and pulled out a DVD case, TOMBSTONE written in sharpie on the front of the disc. Alice reached in and pulled out a case. She jiggled the handle, and popped it open. Inside was four sets of medals. Lots of medals. Each set had a name above it. Irish, Viper, Sharp, and Noble. Noble's set had the most, Sharp second most. There was also a section in the back filled with medals with Diego over it.

Sakura saw an envelope, and pulled it out. Inside were pictures. In each were the same five people. She recognized Tristan and Diego. The others were a dark skinned man with black eyes and an oval-shaped head, a woman with long black hair, green eyes, and red lips. The last man was the tallest. He had a shaved head, a goatee, crystal blue eyes, and a wide smile. Sakura guessed he was Noble. There were dozens of pictures, varying from the five of them standing at attention in uniform, to them in casual clothing at a burger joint, laughing. Sakura recognized Daniel in some of the pictures.

At the bottom of the chest was an old, folded American flag. Below that was a green camouflage military uniform, helmet included. David grabbed this and put it on his head. It slid down over his face.

Jaina walked over to the DVD player and popped the disc in. They switched on the TV, and pressed play. The DVD was a collection of clips of the team. It started out with Barack Obama walking in front of them, they were all standing at attention in uniform. He went to each of them, including Diego, placing medals on them. They looked through the other clips. There were more of them receiving medals, some of them in the barracks. There was one in what looked like a middle eastern country, where a reporter was talking to a man on the ground with a sniper rifle. Sharp.

Jaina was loving it. "The legendary Tombstone. Amazing."

"So, what do you feel when you shoot someone?" The reporter asked.

"Recoil." Was the short response from the sniper.

"Very funny. What can you tell us about the war on ISIS?" She asked.

"We're kicking their asses." He answered.

"What's an ISIS?" Alice asked.

"Horrible people from the old world. They were extremist terrorists. They killed people in horrible ways just to get to America." Jaina growled.

The reporter started to ask another question. "Shut up." He interrupted, holding up a finger to silence her. He peered through his scope, then switched on a radio on his chest. "Noble, this is Sharp. I've spotted multiple hostiles approaching from the east. They appear to be heavily armed."

"What are they packing?" A voice said.

"They have a three tanks, rocket launchers, LAVs… they're approaching the base."

"Take out as many as you can Sharp, we need time to prepare for their arrival."

"Copy that." Sharp replied, then he started firing. The reporter was speaking rapidly to the camera, then gunfire started. Sharp got up and tackled the woman and cameraman to the ground, then crawled back to his rifle and started firing, then the clip ended.

Alec whistled. "Huh. I never really followed foreign affairs, didn't really have access to TV or news. How bad were these guys?"

"They held public executions, filming themselves decapitating people. They tortured people, they were awful. I was captured by them when I was in Iran, I managed to escape, but it was awful." Jaina said, shuddering at the memory.

"Did we beat them?" David asked.

"Well, in 2017 president Clinton finally sent in ground troops, so that footage was probably sometime between then and Z-Day. Anyway, we never actually beat them before the apocalypse, but from what I understand we were doing pretty well."

"Don't fuck with America." Sakura said.

Alice was confused. "Why were they doing that?"

The adults looked at each other. "They said it was because of their religion, for the glory of Allah." Sakura finally said. "A lot of people were scared and blamed the Muslim community, not understanding that these people were extremists. It was scary times."

"What's an extremist?" David asked.

"People who took beliefs and ideals too far, became radicals. The best examples of extremism would be the religious ones. Most religions had them, Christianity had the KKK."

"Oh." was all the kids said.

Sakura looked back in the trunk. She pulled out an iPod. "Haven't seen one of these in years." She said.

"What's on it?" Alec asked.

Sakura looked through the songs. "Warriors, We Are One, God Bless America, It's America… there are a lot of patriotic songs in here."

Alec looked at the folded flag. "Strange. He doesn't strike me as the patriotic type." He quipped.

"Haha." She said sarcastically. McKenna reached in and pulled out the flag. It unfolded, a battered but proud starred and striped fabric.

Sakura looked back at the photos. Noble was shaking the hand of Obama, the rest of Tombstone behind him.

Jaina went back to the DVD, looking at the clips again.

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The mustang turned into the city. It parked, and the three men got out. He gestured to the hundreds of cars scattered across the streets. "You have the pick of the litter, Ryan. Go ahead and look for the parts, John and I will stand watch."

Ryan nodded. He looked around at the cars, and approached a pickup. He started looking through the vehicle, while John and Tristan stood vigilant.

Ryan cursed. "This car has been stripped of its parts." He moved to another one. "This one too." He went around the cars, popping hoods. "Guys, they're all stripped."

Tristan thought for a moment. "They can't _all_ be stripped." He looked around the street. "There has to be a car with parts in it somewhere."

"It's been five years, those car parts can be repurposed for other uses." John said. "In five years, I wouldn't be surprised if they were all looted for towns."

Tristan frowned. " _All_ of them?" He walked around a corner. "Hey, there's another impala. Let's check it."

Ryan, sighed, and went over to it. He popped the hood. "The only thing this one has is a leaking battery." He said, frustrated.

John walked up. "I saw an autobody shop down the street, we could check there. Don't those places always have parts lying around?"

"Which just makes them easier to take." Ryan said pessimistically.

"It's worth a try. Come on, let's check it out."

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They stood outside the door. "Careful." John said. "You never know if these places still have their alarms…"

Tristan kicked the door open, a padlock clanging to the ground. For a few seconds a garbled old alarm sounded, then Tristan shot the speaker it was coming out of. He looked at John, grinning.

John scowled, and stepped inside, Ryan close behind. They walked past the stacks of tires, looking at the shelves. Ryan approached a door. "The garage is out here."

Tristan nodded and kicked down the door. A zombie in a maintenance uniform stumbled into the room, snarling. John took out his tomahawk and cleaved it's head, wiping the blade on the uniform and replacing it on his hip.

An old minivan was raised on a platform, a pickup on the ground next to it. Tristan popped the hood on the pickup truck, cursed, and closed it again. He looked at the minivan. He slung his DMR over his shoulder, and started climbing. Ryan went into the back room, while John paced the room, on guard.

Tristan made it to the hood, and popped it open, grinning. "Hey Ryan! This one hasn't been stripped!"

Ryan came out of the back room, holding a metal object in his hand. "Look at the intake manifold, tell me what you see."

Tristan stared at him. "The what?"

Ryan sighed. "It's at the head of the engine." Tristan kept the stare. "Look near the front and back."

Tristan complied. "I see… some silver tubes…"

"Okay, is there anything connecting those to another tube? Above them?"

He looked. "Yeah, some little black things, blue tops."

Ryan grinned. "Alright, disconnect the main fuel line…"

Tristan hopped down. "How about I just give you a lift up and you do it?"

Ryan nodded. He walked over, and Tristan kneeled down, making a cup with his hands. Ryan stepped in, and Tristan lifted him up to the van. Ryan started working, and after a few minutes held out his hands in triumph. "Got em'!"

Tristan lowered him down, and Ryan placed the injectors into a case with the metal bits he got. "Pistons." He said when Tristan looked at him questioningly. "Alright, that's all I needed. Let's head back."

They headed back through the shop, and out the doors, then ducked back inside. A tank was wandering the streets a few blocks down.

"Shit." Tristan cursed.

"What the hell are we going to do? We have to go that way to get back to the mustang!" Ryan whispered.

"If one of us could draw it away, the other two could get the mustang." Tristan said. He looked at them. "Alright, I'll work on distracting. Give me a few minutes, and once you see it move away, make a run for it."

"We're not leaving you!" John said.

"You won't. Pick me up by that Dunkin Donuts we saw on our way here." Tristan said.

"That's three miles away." Ryan said. "How are you going to make that?"

"Please, three miles was less than half of what we had to do in bootcamp. I'll be fine. Give me ten minutes once you get there, then leave. Got it?"

Ryan opened his mouth to argue, then John covered his mouth. "Don't be late." He said.

Tristan grinned. "Don't worry, I'm very punctual." With that, he stood up and went out the back door.

Ryan stared at John. "So we're just leaving him here?"

"He'll be fine." John answered. "He's being a soldier, let him do his thing."

They sat in silence, watching the beast. Then a gunshot rang out, and they saw a small burst of blood spray from the tank's eye. It roared, and bounded away down a street. John grabbed Ryan's neck and hauled him up, and they took off for the mustang. They hopped cars, when a runner dashed towards them. In one smooth motion, John jumped a car, drew his tomahawk, and killed it, drawing it back and landing on his feet. They made it to the car, and Ryan jumped into the driver seat, starting the car and backing up until he could turn around. As he turned, John went a little pale. Tristan took off across a street about a hundred yards away, the tank following after two seconds. The two disappeared behind a building, but they still heard the haunting roars of the beast. Ryan hit the gas pedal, and they sped off for the rendezvous point.

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They had been waiting eight and a half minutes. John calmly leaned against the side of the donut shop while Ryan paced.

They heard a motor, and turned to the street. Tristan rode up on a bicycle, ringing a little bell as he stopped in front of them. "Neat, huh? I got it off the front window of a toy shop."

John stared at it. "It's very pink."

Tristan grinned. "Indeed it is. It has tassels and everything." He said, flicking the rainbow tassels on the end of the handlebar. "How long you guys been here?"

"Just got to nine as you rode up." Ryan said. "I was worried you weren't gonna show."

"Like I said, I'm very punctual. Arrived right on time."

"Well, let's get back to camp." John said. "It's getting dark."

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As darkness settled, they pulled into the clearing. Aaron was outside, along with Mrs. Ayaka. Rachel and Natalie were chatting by the APC. As the mustang pulled to a stop, the four of them got out of the car. "Hey, Mrs. Ayaka." Tristan called, waving.

She smiled. "Hello, Tristan. John, Ryan. By the way, I've been thinking, since we're a group I'd rather you call me by my name. It's Sorano."

He returned the smile. "Will do, Sorano." He looked around. "Where is everybody?"

She jabbed her thumb towards the RV. "In there. I came out because I figured somebody should be standing watch."

Tristan nodded, and turned to Ryan. "You okay fixing up the car? Or do you need me to stay out here?"

"Considering how useless you were with the minivan before, I think I'd be better off on my own." He replied, flashing a smile to show that he was teasing.

Tristan grinned. "Alright, smartass. I'm heading inside."

He went over to the door, John following, and opened it. As he stepped inside, he gazed at the scene in front of him. His old military chest open, Sakura looking at pictures, David and Alice playing with his helmet, Alec and Jaina looking through his old medals.

Alec glanced up and went a little pale. "Shit. Hi… Tristan." He said, a sheepish grin on his face. "We… uh…"

"Found my chest." Tristan said, smiling. "It's fine." He walked over, sitting next to Sakura. "I haven't seen these things in four years, since I last opened that chest."

Connor grinned. "You know, those medals are impressive, but I know something that will top them."

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "Yeah?"

John realized what he was doing. "Connor, don't…"

"Be right back." Connor interrupted, running out of the RV. He returned after a minute, carrying a folded fabric. He drew back the top, and everyone stared and whistled in awe. In his hands was a gold UFC belt.

Tristan grinned at John. "You told me you were a professional wrestler, you didn't tell me you were in the UFC!"

"You guys should have seen John in the old world, he kicked ass! Welterweight champion right here!" Connor said, clapping John on the shoulder. "He was awesome!"

"That's seriously impressive." Ella said. She glanced at John. "How long were you a wrestler for?"

"Since I was 19, that's when I became an MMA fighter." John answered.

"Damn. How old are you now?" Tristan asked.

"I was 27 when Z-Day hit. I was a wrestler for eight years." He said.

Tristan turned to the others. As Ryan walked in with the others from outside. The RV was packed now. "What about you guys? What did you guys do for a living in the old world. I know Ryan was a mechanic, John a wrestler, I was a SEAL, Jaina too."

"I had a part time at a fast food joint. Alec was a thief."

Sakura looked at the flushed Alec. "Thief?"

"Yeah… we weren't very well off. Lived in a bad neighborhood. I stole to keep us fed. I wasn't a mugger, I just broke into houses and stole valuables."

"But the past is the past." Ryan said.

"Anyway, I was studying the medical field. Ryan's, mechanic job kept us going, so I spent all my time studying." Rachel said.

"I was in college, I just worked at a diner on campus." She gripped her sister's hand. "And thank God I was home for the summer on Z-Day."

"I worked at a bank." Sorano said.

"I was a lawyer." Aaron answered.

Tristan grinned. "Lawyer? Sweet!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Aaron said irritably.

"No no, I wasn't poking fun. I actually think lawyers are cool." Tristan said.

"Really? Cool?" Sakura questioned.

"Yeah! I actually wanted to be lawyer, but I wanted to be a marine more. What kind of lawyer were you?" Tristan asked. "Did you handle big crimes? That was what I wanted to do."

"I was a divorce lawyer." Aaron answered.

"That's cool too. What about you, Connor?"

"I was actually a kind of agent for John. I handled all of his contracts and such, helped with his public image." He answered. "We were like partners."

"I was in college like Sakura, I worked at a coffee house." Ella said.

Tristan looked at the kids. "And I think it's safe to assume you two didn't have jobs."

"I was an astronaut!" David said. "I went to Mars and stuff."

Tristan smiled. "Yeah? What's your favorite planet?"

"Naboo." He answered, drawing a laugh from Tristan. Then they all went silent when they heard a small laugh from John. "Oh my God, he _does_ have a sense of humor." Tristan said, grinning.

The slight frown had returned. "I'd probably laugh more if every time I smiled it wasn't such a big deal."

"But it's such a rare occurrence that we need to enjoy it while it lasts!" Jaina teased.

"Whatever." John muttered.

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They all talked for a few more minutes, then got ready for bed.

After everyone had fallen asleep, a figure went to the food storage they had set up in the trunk of the RV. They took a small armload of food, and closed the trunk. They went to the APC, and carefully removed a small amount of clips and guns from the weapons.

They moved towards the mustang's trunk.

That's all for now folks! I'll try to update soon!


	12. Deceit and Betrayal

Hello! Not much to say here, just here's the next chapter.

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Alec usually woke up early. But this morning was an exception, he was passed out on the RV driver couch.

The others opted to let him sleep, going about their business. Sakura hung out in the RV with Tristan, Ryan, and Ella. Tristan had popped in Predator, and at the moment they were watching Arnold Schwarzenegger battle the alien hunter.

John opened the door. "Hey Tristan, you have those lists from yesterday? I'm going to take inventory."

Tristan hopped off the couch, going over to the kitchen counter. "Here is weapons… Medicine… And here is food." He said, handing the sheets to John. "I already removed the food we ate last night and breakfast, and edited the numbers from our trip to the city."

John nodded, closing the door. Tristan went back to the couch, plopping down next to Sakura, and Ryan unpaused.

John passed by the kids sitting down with the dogs. Coporal was happily letting the kids rub his belly and rolling in the grass, Diego merely sat, letting the kids scratch him, watching the tree line. John noted how good of a good guard dog he was. The military certainly knew how to train its dogs.

He went to Ella's Impala first, where they kept the medicine. He looked at everything, comparing it to the list. He frowned. A bottle of painkillers seemed to be missing. He rummaged around, but he couldn't find the missing bottle. He placed a small check next to the name of the medicine, intending to talk to the others about it after he finished. He popped the trunk of the RV, where they kept the big weapons and most of the food. Weapons were fine, but to his shock some of the long lasting food they had was missing. A can of beans, jerky, a package of ramen. Something was wrong.

He ran to the APC where most of their weapons were. As he thought, five pistol clips were missing, along with a glock.

He slammed the trunk and ran back to the RV. "Tristan, we're missing supplies." He almost yelled. Tristan got up and went over. "Look, in each of our storages, a little bit of each of them was missing. A pill bottle, a can of beans, a pistol and clips."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Why would someone only take a little bit of each? They clearly were able to steal undetected, why not take more?"

"Who was on watch last night?" Sakura asked.

"Aaron was first, then the new girl… McKenna, and then Connor." John answered.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if someone got past under Aaron's nose, don't know about McKenna, I don't think Connor wouldn't have noticed a thief." Tristan said.

"Unless they were a really good thief." Sakura added.

They heard Ryan sigh. Tristan turned to him. "What?"

He paled a little, not realized he had sighed out loud. "Uh… Nothing."

John glared at him. "No, you know something, what is it?!"

"Nothing!" Ryan said, raising his hands.

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "You know who did it, don't you?"

"No… No. I don't." Ryan said, gritting his teeth.

The yelling had woken up Alec. "What's going on?" He asked sleepily.

"Someone stole our supplies, Ryan knows something, and won't tell us." John answered shortly.

Alec looked at Ryan, saw the way Ryan looked back at him, and realized what he was thinking.

Tristan walked over to him. "Ryan, did you do it?" He asked quietly.

"What? No! I just… I don't know who did it." He said.

"You're lying about one of those two things. Which is it?" John asked angrily.

Alec saved him. "Guys, I know what he's thinking. And he's wrong." He sighed. "You already know I was a thief, and… I got kicked out of a town for hoarding a secret stash of supplies. In case of an emergency. But I didn't do it."

John looked at Ryan. "Is that true?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't want Alec to get in trouble until I asked him later."

John turned to Alec. "Then you won't mind if we search around?"

Alec shrugged his shoulders. "I don't own any of the vehicles. Do what you want."

John turned to the door, the others following. He went straight for the mustang. He opened doors, looked under the seats. Tristan popped the trunk, and his face was deepened by a scowl. "You know, Alec, I don't like liars."

His face turned to shock. "What?"

John ran over. "That's everything that's missing!"

Alec ran over with them. Sure enough, the missing supplies were hidden in the back of the trunk. "Guys… I didn't do this." He said, his voice shaky. "I swear."

"Then why is this shit in the back of the Mustang?" John asked.

Alec felt Ryan's eyes on him. "I swear it wasn't me! Why would I tell you about me stealing supplies before if I wanted to hide this?"

"Because you knew we would get it out of Ryan eventually, and telling us yourself would paint you in a much better picture." John answered. "Alec, all the evidence is here. And why would you change? If you did this before, what should stop you from doing it again?"

"That's insane! I didn't trust anyone before, but I actually like you guys! I wouldn't steal from you!" Alec said.

"You stole from me and Rachel after you met us." Ryan said quietly.

John glared at Alec. "Didn't mention _that_."

Alec was panicking. "Guys, I swear to _God_ , it wasn't me. Please!"

"A lot of evidence says otherwise." Ryan said. The others had come over, listening.

Connor spoke up. "Guys, we shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Thank you!" Alec exclaimed.

"You honestly expect us to just believe you?" John said.

Tristan was silent as John and Alec went back in forth, Connor Ella and Natalie the only ones coming to Alec's defense. "Guys. _Guys_. GUYS!" Everyone shut up. "I don't think he's lying."

Alec smiled at this. John was incredulous. "Seriously?"

Tristan nodded. "I think he's telling the truth."

"Why?" John asked.

"Because I'm pretty good at telling when someone is lying. And I don't see any signs. Besides, my gut tells me it was someone else." he answered.

"We're supposed to let this go because of your gut?" John asked.

"Don't you listen when you feel like something is off? Cool off for a second. Besides, that's a terrible hiding place. Alec doesn't strike me as stupid, if he really was stashing away supplies, he'd pick somewhere we wouldn't find easily." Tristan explained.

John considered his words. "Then why did all this happen?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just know he isn't lying." Tristan said. "Look, everyone's clearly a little on edge at the moment. Let's cool off, then think about this. Because someone _did_ steal, and for whatever reason hid it in an obvious place."

Everyone nodded in agreement, moving back to where they were before. As everyone was leaving, Alec headed back for the RV when Ryan grabbed his shoulder. "Look me in the eye and tell me you didn't do it."

Alec stared at him straight on. "I didn't do it."

Ryan smiled and nodded. "Just wanted to be sure."

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After a while, the group packed up, intending to move on. Tristan had left immediately after the incident, saying that when he got back they would leave. As people finished packing up camp, Tristan returned, carrying a box.

He called everyone over, and pulled out four walkie talkies. "These are long distance high powered walkies. This way we can communicate between vehicles. Keep it on channel three at all times." He handed one to Ryan for the mustang, one to Ella for the impala, and one to John for the APC, keeping one for the RV.

Everyone divided up among the vehicles. Inside the APC, John spoke to Jaina and Connor, the passengers. "Did any of you do it?" He asked.

"Hell no." They said in unison. "And I don't think Alec did it either." Connor added.

John grunted. "I don't think we should rule anything out as a possibility so soon."

"By that logic, that makes you a suspect too." Jaina said.

John nodded. "Yes. Everyone is. That's how this works."

"So with you it's guilty until proven innocent." Connor grumbled.

"Yes." John said again. "And cut the sarcasm."

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They drove for a couple hours, arriving in Savannah. They drove through the city.

Sakura was on the driver couch next to Tristan. "This sure is a pretty place." She said, gazing at the buildings.

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. A few years ago there was this awful setup, though. Crawford. People there were all about survival of the fittest, threw out the sick and kids and old people."

Sakura grimaced. "Sound like pleasant people."

"Yeah. Got overrun, though. Good riddance. I only heard about it from some guy I met on the road, Kenny or something."

Sakura nodded, gazing back out the window. Then Tristan slammed on the brakes, the other vehicles following suit. A large boat was blocking the road.

Everyone got out. Tristan, John, James, Sakura, and Jaina walked over. "There's a fairly large alley there." Jaina observed. "If we can manage to move it…"

Tristan and John moved to start pushing, Sakura and Jaina following, James moving in with Ryan and Alec.

Together, they all started pushing, and managed to slowly push it towards the alley.

Over the creaking and scraping, they didn't hear the moans. A zombie grabbed Amber's shoulder, and Sakura barely managed to draw her pistol and put a bullet between it's eyes before it bit down. The fighter dropped the boat, drawing their weapons, Sakura James and Tristan going in close with their blades.

The rest of them took off down the alley, Zombies were swarming around the vehicles.

Aaron, Amber, Sorano, Rachel, Ella, Natalie, Connor, McKenna, Alice, and David exited the alley to the joining street, to meet another horde. They split off in a panic, half going for a nearby building, the other half going for a fence.

Tristan and the others burst from the alley, covering their friends.

McKenna hopped the fence, Ella and Corporal after, Connor following, Aaron following. Alice couldn't jump high enough. "Aaron! Help me!"

Aaron looked in a panic at her, then turned his head to hear McKenna calling his name. Alice cried out as he jumped down to the other side. Faintly Alice heard Tristan screaming in anger at Aaron from the other side of the horde.

She was surrounded. She took out her pistol, and with a shaking hand managed to shoot four zombies before her clip ran out.

A runner reached for her, and then Diego leapt tore away the scalp of the runner, tearing apart the surrounding zombies.

A boomer approached, and Diego head butted a zombie on top of it, causing it to explode.

He defended Alice, and once there was enough room he grabbed the cuff of her shirt in his jaw, and ran, carrying her back to Tristan.

He dropped Alice at the wall behind them, and joined his friend in combat. Together the man dog duo tore through the horde. Tristan decapitating and slashing, Diego tearing and ripping.

Sakura shot her crossbow, reloaded, and shot again. Took a bolt, stabbed a spitter, loaded the same bolt, and shot a runner. A runner grabbed her from behind, then it's head exploded from Tristan's pistol. Sakura returned the favor, shooting a spitter behind him.

James and John stood back to back, James dual wielding a sword and dagger, John a pistol and tomahawk.

Ryan and Alec covered the girls as they loaded their pistols. Between the six of them constantly firing their pistols, no zombie got near them.

Alice and David were behind Tristan, and the two of them took their time aiming and shooting any zombie they could.

Connor has a rifle, shooting from the fence, McKenna joining him with a pistol.

It seemed like it took hours, but eventually they took down the horde. Everyone gathered together.

"Are they all dead?" Tristan asked. The others noticed the dark time in his voice.

"Yeah, they are. Let's…"

"Can four of you take the kids and bring the vehicles around?" He asked.

Amber nodded, her Sorano and James heading for the alley.

Aaron started to follow, and Tristan grabbed his shirt. "Not you."

Ella realized what was happening, and took the kids down the alley.

After they left, Trustan lifted Aaron into the air and slammed him against a wall.

"I'm going to make this short. And this is the only warning you're going to get, so listen up." He growled, tightening his grip. "That little girl needed you. And you left her to _die_. You ran like a coward. The _only_ reason I'm not killing you is because she didn't die. But if you _ever_ pull shit like that again, I don't care what anyone says thinks or does, I _will_ kill you. I can deal with you being a crabby jackass all the time, but I _will not_ tolerate you endangering the lives of the group, _especially_ those kids. Do you understand?"

Aaron nodded frantically, fear in his eyes. Tristan released his grip, causing Aaron to fall down on his ass to the concrete. "Good."

Aaron struggled to his feet. He glanced at Sakura as she passed by. She glared at him. "I was actually planning on talking to you about it too. Don't think it's necessary anymore. But you were a coward, Aaron." She walked down the alley with the others, Aaron hanging his head in shame and following.

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They set up camp at a hotel called the Marsh House. They worked for an hour barricading the stairwells and windows, so as no zombies could sneak in on them from upstairs. They formed a perimeter outside with the vehicles.

They all agreed to sleep in the lobby, John James and Tristan dragging in beds from the rooms.

Most of them fell asleep immediately, John volunteered to take first watch, Tristan couldn't sleep so he joined him.

They sat side by side, watching their group. John took noticed of Tristan's glazed expression. "Not that I don't appreciate the help, but if you want to keep watch with me, you might want to actually watch something."

Tristan nodded absentmindedly. "Sorry, just thinking."

"What about?" John asked.

"Recent events. The group started out fine, but lately we've seemed… tense. Emotions flying, distrust. I flipped out on Aaron earlier."

"You ask me, i should've done more. Bastard left a kid to die, I would have roughed him up." John commented.

"So would I. Not sure why I didn't. But that's not what I'm getting at. Something's… off. There's the whole hoarded supplies thing. I'm positive it wasn't Alec, and I'm also positive it wasn't Natalie Rachel or Ryan. In fact, no one in this group is stupid enough to hide supplies where they could easily be found, especially in the mustang." Tristan said. "I can't help but feel like our turning on Alec was planned."

"But why would any of us do that? Far as I know, no one here has any grudge against Alec." John said.

Tristan shrugged. "I don't know."

As they talked, they heard a car start up. Tristan looked out the window and cursed. "Bandit!"

John and Tristan ran outside to see a van drive away, with all their supplies stuffed in the trunk. Tristan drew his gun just as it rounded a corner. "Fuck!"

Tristan ran for the mustang. "I'll go after them, stay here and keep watch."

"But…" John argued.

"It's just one person, I got it." Tristan said, starting up the car, and driving off to pursue the van.

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The next morning, everyone woke up, John explaining what happened. Tristan still hadn't returned.

"What the hell happened to keeping watch?" McKenna asked.

"Yeah! _All_ of our supplies are gone!" Aaron exclaimed.

Everyone started talking, panicking that their supplies were all gone, when they heard a motor.

Tristan pulled in front of the hotel in the mustang, looking incredibly pissed off. "Motherfucker got away." He growled, slamming the car door shut. "I looked all fucking night, just _gone_."

Sakura walked up to him. "It's not your fault."

"It is though!" He said. "I distracted Joh by talking to him, and also distracting myself, and as a result we got robbed. And we can't even bring the jackass who did it to justice!"

John sighed. "Tristan, it couldn't be helped."

"Couldn't it?" Aaron asked.

"Shut the fuck up, Aaron." Ryan said. "Look, what's done is done. We need to focus on regaining supplies. We have no food, no ammo, no extra guns, no medicine, they took Tristan's heavy power guns, everything."

Tristan sighed. "Alright, alright. Um…"

Sakura perked up. "Tristan, you said that Crawford place got overrun? Well, if it's infested, chances are nobody looted it. We could start there."

Tristan nodded. "Alright, yeah, we can start there." He thought for a moment. "I know where we can get more ammo, possibly military rations. There's a military base in Houston county, south of Macon."

"Okay, so we have a plan." James said.

"Yeah. Okay, let's see if we can find this Crawford place, then head to Houston. Should only take a few hours to get there." Tristan said.

Everyone headed for the vehicles, loading up.

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Eventually they found the entrance to Crawford by the harbor. Ella cringed in her impala at the zombies impaled on spikes. "Jesus. Who were these guys?" She asked over the walkies.

"The guy I found told me they were all about survival of the fittest. They tossed out anyone that could be considered a liability, if they didn't kill them. That included kids, pregnant women, people with illnesses, elderly." Tristan's voice said.

They went inside, and sure enough, it was overrun. Zombies were everywhere, and they made for the convoy.

"Keep moving, Ella and Ryan, keep your cars between John and I. John, send someone up to shoot any zombies that get too close for comfort. Conserve ammo." Tristan said over the walkies.

They complied, Tristan sending Sakura up to aid Jaina. They took their time aiming, only going for those zombies that got within a meter of the cars. Almost all runners.

They reached a garage, parking the cars inside, Sakura and Jaina hurrying to close the doors.

John called everyone over. "Alright, let's get this going. We'll split into three groups: Weapons and ammo, food, and medicine. Connor, Jaina, James, you're with me. We'll go after weapons and ammo."

Tristan spoke up. "McKenna, Amber, Ella, Alice and David, you guys come with me. We'll go for food. The rest of you go with Sakura, get medicine."

Everyone split up, going their separate ways. "There's a school with a nurse's office, we'll go there for medicine."Sakura announced to her group.

Tristan led his group out the back door. "So, where will we start?" Ella asked.

"I figured we'd start with the school cafeteria. Good a place as any to start." Tristan said.

They headed for the school. McKenna walked close to Tristan. "So, not that I disagreed with you handling Aaron the way you did, but he almost pissed himself. Things tense between you two?"

Tristan nodded. "Kind of, yeah. Not sure why, but he's been especially… unfond… of me since we met. Not sure if that's a word."

"How did that go?" McKenna asked.

"Well, first i met Sakura in a gun store. I went outside, he mistook me for an attacker, and went to whack me with a log. I smacked it out of his hand, and twisted his arm." Tristan answered.

"Doesn't really seem like grounds to be the ass he's been lately." McKenna commented. "Honestly, I'm surprised you're trusting him with anything at this point."

Tristan shrugged. "I'm trying to be tolerant for the sake of the group."

"Even so, I think he got let off easy."

Tristan glanced at her as they reached the school. "Really? And what would you have done?"

"Well, I wouldn't have gone as far as killing him, but I think you need to set some ground rules for the group. Take charge, that kind of behavior shouldn't be tolerated." She said, walking ahead of him.

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to establish myself as a leader. I'd rather work as a team, and 'setting ground rules' as you suggested might put some people at odds."

"So? Isn't it worth it for order?" She asked. She felt a hand grip her shoulder.

"You seem awfully determined in making me punish Aaron." Tristan said. "You know, I talked to Alice after the incident. She mentioned hearing you call Aaron over, but I didn't make anything of it at the time. Why would you encourage him to leave a kid behind?" He asked, his voice scarily soft.

McKenna had gone a little pale. "Well… I…"

Tristan turned her around to face him. "Did you frame Alec for stealing supplies?" He questioned.

McKenna backed away, right into Ella. "W-Why would I do that?"

"That's a good question. Why don't you enlighten me?" Tristan growled. "Are you _trying_ to get us pissed off at each other?"

McKenna opened her mouth and closed it again. Ella and Amber were glaring at her along with Tristan, Alice and David watching on the sidelines. Then she shoved Ella into Tristan, and took off running.

She heard the clinking of steel toes against the tiled floor as Tristan pursued her, Ella and Amber running a bit behind with the kids.

Evidently McKenna was a fast runner. She turned corners, until she ran into Sakura's group. "Runners behind me! Shoot them!" She said in a panicked voice, taking off down the halls again.

Sakura drew her gun and aimed at where McKenna had come from. When Tristan rounded the corner she fired, realizing a second too late her mistake. Luckily, he ducked his head, and the bullet hammered into the locker behind him. "McKenna is an enemy!" he shouted.

Sakura took a second to process his words, and then took off down the halls with everyone else after the traitor.

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McKenna's initial head start, combined with her fast running and the temporary slow down with Sakura, caused her to get to the vehicles a minute before the others. Ryan happened to be in the garage, loading a crate into the mustang. She ran full force into him, knocking the wind out of im. She fished in his pockets for the keys, and started up the mustang. She threw a wrench on the floor at the automatic garage door opener, causing the door to rise. Tristan burst through the doors as she started backing out. He drew his gun and fired at the windshield, but nothing hit Mckenna. Ryan had replaced the windows with bullet proof glass, and the bullet embedded itself in the now slightly cracked glass. He holstered the gun and leapt onto the hood right as she started driving. Then the car skidded, James had come around the corner with his machete, slashing a tire as it passed by him.

The car crashed into the side of the school, and Tristan yanked the door open and threw her out of the car. He grabbed her by the neck, raising her up as she struggled, carrying her back to the fuming group. He threw her to the ground. "Explain yourself." John demanded.

McKenna glared at him. "You wouldn't understand!" She snarled.

"Try us." Tristan demanded. "You framed Alec. You called Aaron, playing on his fears to make him leave Alice. You tried manipulating me, and I have a strong suspicion it was you who made off with our supplies. Why the fuck did you do all that?"

McKenna kept her glare, but tears were running down her face. "Revenge." She hissed.

"Revenge? We haven't fucking done anything to you!" James said.

"No, but I was hurt in the most horrible way possible. If I have to suffer, so should everyone else!" McKenna yelled. "You wouldn't understand! Did your family abandon you?! Leave you for dead?! My own _brother_ left me to die, taking our supplies, leaving a horde of zombies to eat me! Do you have _any_ idea what that feels like?! To be betrayed by your family?! It's not fair for other people to be so happy while I'm stuck in Hell!" She screamed.

"That's no excuse for your actions." Tristan growled.

"Do I look like I care what you think?!" McKenna yelled. "The world is Hell now, and no one should be happy in Hell!"

Sakura walked over to her, grabbing her shirt and heaving her up. "Just because you were hurt doesn't give you the right to hurt others." She growled.

McKenna glared at her, then grabbed her pistol, kicking away Sakura. She backed to the wall, everyone training her guns on her. "I'm not going to suffer anymore. I'm leaving, and _none_ of you can stop me!"

Tristan looked at her, then slung his gun over his shoulder. He started walking towards McKenna, and she trained her gun on him. "Don't move!"

He kept walking as she backed away. "You're a lot of things, mostly a bitch, but you're not a killer, are you?" He asked, not breaking his stride.

McKenna's hand started shaking. "Stay back! I'm not going to be punished! I've already suffered enough!"

Tristan was getting close to her. "You won't pull the trigger. In this world, it's easy to tell when people haven't killed anyone. It's in your eyes, the fear, the hesitation, the innocence." He got up to her, and pressed his head against the barrel of the gun. "You're not going to kill anyone."

McKenna stared at him, eyes wide, then in a swift motion put the gun to her head and pulled the trigger, Tristan not fast enough to grab her hand.

She fell to the ground, Alice and David screaming, Tristan going to comfort them, the others staring at the lost soul that laid before them.

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The next day, they were driving. They had gone to the military base. It had plenty of ammo, but the high powered weapons were all gone. They had nowhere near their previous stash, but they were getting there.

Everyone had apologized to Alec for before, and he was completely understanding, having already forgiven them.

To everyone's surprise, Tristan had even apologized to Aaron for his harshness, understanding that he had been caught up in the moment and that McKenna had played on his fears.

They kept driving, looking for their next camp site.

Whew! That was exciting! Review! Thank you Hawk-eye-33 for the villain.


	13. The New Kids In Town

Hello readers! New chapter, new… events… and stuff. Here ya go.

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John looked over their supplies. It had been a week since McKenna, a week since she had stolen all their supplies and hidden it God knows where. Now they were barely scraping by. Tristan had suggested that they conserve ammo, try to only fire guns when absolutely necessary, and instead focus on using their melee weapons. Everyone had agreed.

Food and medicine wise, they were also suffering there. Ella had an emergency kit she had forgotten about in her car's glove box, but that only had some bandages, a pair of tweezers, and a single bottle of disinfectant. They had almost no food.

This hadn't stopped some of the group from trying to keep everyone's spirits up. Tristan, though he was trying to be cheery, actually was irritating John with his near constant humming and whistling. Ella and Amber, along with Connor, played with the kids often.

John was snapped back to reality when he was slapped on the back by Tristan. He had returned from hunting. "I have good news and bad news." He said. "The good news is that I got a 400 lb. buck!" He said, grinning. "Bad news, that's all I got."

John sighed. "What's with all the animals disappearing?"

Tristan shrugged. "Dunno. Early hibernation?" John glared at him. "Okay, still not in a joking mood. Gotcha."

Tristan heaved the burlap sack over his shoulder, and headed for the campfire that everyone else was huddled around.

Alice hugged him as he passed her on his way to the fire. After he returned the hug, he set the bag on the ground, and took out the already skinned body, sticking it on the spit. He added the legs, and then sat on the empty seat next to Sakura. Everyone stared at the fire in silence, keeping to their thoughts, Tristan occasionally sticking his arm to the fire to turn the spit.

Alice broke the silence. "I know a game we could play." She whispered.

"What's that, Allie?" Tristan asked, turning the spit again.

"In the bunker, sometimes David and I would play truth or dare, but it was always just the two of us, sometimes with other kids. I've never played it in a big group before."

Sakura smiled. "That sounds fun."

"I'm down for that. Meat's done." Tristan said, removing the spit. He took out paper plates, and loaded each one up with the venison. "John! Dinner!"

John walked over, taking his plate. "Thanks. And I heard you guys talking, so before you ask, no, I'm not playing."

"C'mon, John, it'll be fun. We haven't played that since we were kids." Connor said, punching his brothers arm.

John shot Connor a glare. "Exactly. When we were kids. I'm keeping watch." with that, John headed back to where he was seated before.

Connor started to argue. "Leave him, Connor. If he wants to be a sourpuss, let him. We can enjoy the game." Tristan said. "So, are all questions and all dares allowed?"

"Yeah, and you get one chicken out, and one only. And you can't dare someone to tell a truth." David answered. "If you've already used your chicken out, and don't want to do a truth or dare, then you're out."

"Sounds fair. Who wants to go first?" Ella asked.

Natalie's hand shot up, excitement in her face. "I'll go! I've never played this before! Umm… Tristan. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." He responded through a mouth full of meat.

"Alright…" She thought, and Rachel whispered in her ear. "Ooh! We've heard you sing, we haven't seen you dance!"

Tristan swallowed, wiping his mouth. "What do you want me to dance too?"

Rachel grinned. "A dirty dance."

Tristan grinned. "You want a strip tease?"

Most of them laughed, Sakura's was a nervous one. "W-what about the kids?"

Natalie shot her a look. "You're no fun."

"What's a strip tease?" Alice asked.

"Something you can know about when you're older." Ryan said.

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "It's people taking off their clothes in a sexual way, to arouse other people." This earned him a smack from Sakura. "What? It's not like that's the worst thing they've seen or heard. That's nothing."

"I don't think I want to see you do that." Alice said, worry in her face.

"Fine. But I still want to see you dance to a song." Natalie said. "See if your dancing compares to your singing."

Tristan thought, then smiled. "I know the perfect song." He took out his iPod, and looked through it for a moment, taking out his radio and connecting it. He shot up, turning his back to the group, taking his scabbard and using it as a cane. They heard a violin start playing, Tristan staying still as a statue as the music went on.

After about 30 seconds, Tristan raised his left hand, still keeping his back to the group. "When the devil is too busy." He lowered his left and raised his right. "And Death's a bit too much." He turned his head sideways so that they could see half his face. "They call on me, by name you see, for my special touch."

He turned to face them, his fedora tipped to cover his face, his scabbard still a cane. "To the gentlemen I'm Miss Fortune, to the ladies I'm Sir Prize." He raised his head just enough for them to see his eyes. "But call me, by any name. Anyway it's all the saaaame." He grinned, and leapt forward, stepping around their circle. "I'm the fly in your soup. I'm pebble, in your shoe. I'm the pea beneath your bed. I'm the bump on every head." He waved his "cane" over their heads, dancing around them with his steps. "I'm the peel on which you slip! I'm a pin in every hip. I'm the thorn in your side. Makes you wriggle, and writhe!"

He stepped up onto the hood of the mustang, the fire dancing across his figure against the night sky. "And it's so easy when you're evil! This is the life you see!" He tipped his hat. "The Devil, tips his hat to me! I do it all because I'm evil!"

He jumped down, grinning. "And I do it all for free…" He stopped for a moment, along with the music. "Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need!"

Amber glanced at her sister, who was captivated by the performance. She grinned.

He danced over to Alice, booping her nose, causing her to giggle. "While there's children to make sad, while there's candy to be had! While there's pockets left to pick, while there's grannies left to trip down the stairs, I'll be there. I'll be waiting 'round the corner. It's a game I'm glad I'm in it, 'cause there's one born every minute."

He jumped up to the impala. "And it's so easy when you're evil! This is the life you see. The Devil, tips his hat to me!" He tipped his hat again. "I do it all because I'm evil. And I do it all for free…" he stopped again. "Your tears are all the pay I'll ever need!"

He jumped down, placing his hat over his chest. "I. Pledge. My allegiance. Toooo, all things dark and I. Promise on my damn-ned soul. To. Do as I am told! Lord, Beelzebub has never seen! A soldier quite like me! Not, only does his job but does it ha-pp-ily!" He grinned wider. "I'm the fear that keeps you awake!" He stood directly in front of the fire, casting his large shadow against the RV. "I'm the shadows, on the wall! I'm the monsters they become! I'm the nightmare in your skull! I'm a dagger, in your back! An extra turn upon the rack. I'm the quivering of your heart, a stabbing pain, a sudden start!"

He stood in the center of the circle, justin front of the fire. "And it's so easy when you're evil! This is the life you see. The Devil, tips his hat to me!" He tipped his hat once more. "I do it all because I'm evil. And I do it all for free, your tears are all the pay I'll ever need!" He swayed his hips, drawing laughs from the group. "And I do it all for free, your tears are all the pay I'll ever need! And I do it all for free, your tears are all the pay I'll ever need!"

The music slowed and deepened, and Tristan plastered a sad frown on his face. "It gets so lonely, being evil. What I'd do to see a smile. Even for a little while." He stretched his arm into the empty air. "And no one loves you when you're evil." He grinned. "I'm lying through my teeth! Your tears are all the company I need!" He jerked to the last sharp notes of the violin as the music died down. "Aaand, scene." He said, bowing, the others clapping and laughing. "So?"

"Very nice." Natalie said.

He sat back down next to Sakura. "Alright… Sakura. Truth or dare?"

She hesitated. "Truth."

"Okay. I'm curious, where is your family from?" He asked. Sakura raised her eyebrow. "You said you were asian american, I want to know where in asia your family is from?"

"Ah." She said, smiling. "My mom came here from Nepal."

He grinned. "Nepal. Neat."

Sakura looked around at the group. "Hmm… Ella. Truth or dare?"

"Dare." She said, grinning.

"Alright. I dare you to go get John to play with us. I want to see him play." She said.

Ella's face fell. "What happens if someone is unable to do a dare?"

"That counts as a chicken out." David replied.

Ella groaned, then went to find John. After she left, Rachel looked around at the group. "So, what do we do while we wait?"

Tristan reached for the meat still on the spit. " _I_ am going to eat this food that no one else is claiming."

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John peered through the scope of his rifle. A bush rustled, and he trained his gun on it. A racoon crawled out, and he lowered his gun, returning his attention to the treeline.

"Hey." He whipped around to see Ella standing a few feet away.

He relaxed his shoulders. "What?"

"I came to invite you to hang out with us." She said. "You don't really hang out with us."

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Tristan. I don't have time for games and 'hanging out.' Maybe it works for him, but I need to stay vigilant." He said, turning away to go back to watching the trees.

"Staring at trees and bushes all night isn't going to be very fun. Yeah, sure, we need to stay cautious, but…"

"But nothing. I don't want to reveal my secrets, and I respect myself too much to take part in any stupid dares." He interrupted, not even looking back at her.

Ella scowled. "You know, you don't _have_ to be an asshole."

"I'm not. I'm being responsible for the group's safety." He replied. "You're wasting your time. I'm not coming."

Ella clenched her fists, then sighed, turning to go back to the group.

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Ella returned to the circle, still scowling. James took notice first. "Not coming?"

She sat back down. "No. He's too busy 'being vigilant' and 'being responsible for the group.' Being an overall jackass."

Connor looked to where she came from, and got up from his seat next to Alec to go be with his brother.

"John needs time to warm up to us." Tristan said. "I don't think he's an asshole, just guarded, slow to trust."

"He's right. It took two months for John to finally warm up to me and Josh when he found us." Jaina said.

Ella said nothing. "Sakura, you get to pick someone else." David said.

Sakura looked around the circle. "Okay, Alec." His head perked up. "Truth or dare?"

He thought for a moment. "Truth."

"What's the most expensive thing you've ever stolen?" She asked.

Alec's cheeks reddened slightly. "Well, it'd have to be… keep in mind I'm not proud of my criminal record… an old chinese ming vase I found when I broke into some old couple's home. Had gold mixed in with the ceramics, really pretty. It sold for over two million dollars." Everyone's mouths dropped. "Yeah, it kept us going pretty well for three months. We got a nicer apartment, we could afford better food. I planned on investing some of it, make us more, maybe turn our lives around. Then…" His eyes darkened a little. "Then our dad stole it. All of it. Usually he'd just spend it on drugs, but he took all of it to a casino. Lost all of it. We were lucky to be able to move back into our old apartment."

"Jeez. That… I don't really know what else to say. That sucks." Tristan said.

Alec shrugged. "All in the past. Ryan. Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Ryan answered.

"Why is everyone choosing truth?" James wondered aloud.

"What was your family like?" Alec asked.

Ryan's face went a little pale. "Huh?"

"Your family. I asked you about it before, you didn't really answer." Alec said.

"I'm going to use my chicken out." Ryan said quickly. Several of the group members raised their eyebrows, but said nothing.

"Sorry, didn't mean to touch on a sore subject." Alec said, looking guilty.

"Don't worry about it. Just pick someone." Ryan dismissed, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Alec looked around, and he smiled at the kids. "Alice. Truth or dare?"

"Finally! Dare!" Alice exclaimed, happy she had finally been called on.

"Alright, umm…" He was stumped. David ran over, giggling, and whispered in his ear. Alec cringed. "I'm not daring her to do that."

"I'll do it!" Alice said. "I'm not a chicken."

"Yeah, well, he told me to dare you to eat a bug, so…"

"That's easy." Alice said to David's delight, and the most of the adult's disgust.

Tristan was fine. "Good protein." He commented. "A lot of bugs are pretty good." he grinned as Sakura stared at him. "You know, ants and maggots…"

"Stop." Ella said, covering her mouth. "That's disgusting."

"He's right though." James said. "Especially if you cook them right."

David ran back to them, holding a beetle. "Eat this."

Before Alice could grab it, Tristan took it and looked at it. "Just making sure it's safe… alright go ahead." He said, handing Alice the squirming beetle. "Dunk it in some water first, clean it off. No telling where it's been."

Alice went over to the jug of water they had, and poured a little over her hands. Then she popped the beetle in her mouth, and Ella turned and puked behind her seat, Sorano looking green herself.

Alice sat down, looking pleased with herself. "Umm… Tristan! Truth or dare?"

He smiled. "Dare."

She smiled. "Okay…" She glanced at Amber, who without anyone else noticing, was mouthing something to Alice. Sakura saw at the last moment. "Kiss Sakura!" Alice said, grinning at her dare.

Everyone, including Tristan, laughed at Alice's dare. Sakura glared daggers at her smirking sister. Tristan leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek, drawing a sharp cry from Sakura. "Really, Alice, you could have asked me anything. I want a challenge."

John had returned to get some water. "Like I said before, childish." he commented as he poured from the jug.

"Don't be grumpy. It's supposed to be child…" Tristan stopped, then stood up and drew his gun, aiming it at a patch of shadows. "Come out." He growled.

John turned, drawing his gun to face a man in full riot gear stepping out of the shadows with a shotgun. "Drop your weapons." The man ordered.

The others had stood up. "You're not in a position to make demands." Ella growled.

Tristan looked around. "He's not alone. There's people all around the camp."

"That's right." The man said. "Now I won't say it again, drop your weapons. If you cooperate, you can go without any trouble whatsoever. We just want you out of our territory."

The others lowered their weapons, Tristan kept his pistol trained unwaveringly on the man. "That's all? You don't want our supplies? No theft?"

"None." Replied the man. "Just our security. Jessie has a strict demand that no one come near the town without her permission."

Tristan lowered his gun. "Alright, but try anything and you're dead."

The man lowered his gun. "That goes both ways. Now if you don't mind, please get back in your vehicles."

The group packed up their stuff, and loaded it into the vehicles. As they finished up, Sakura walked up to the man. "So, you guys are friendly?"

"So long as our people aren't threatened, yeah." He replied. "Why?"

"Well, we recently had our supplies stolen. All of them. We're scraping by, could we meet with this Jessie? Maybe work something out so we could have some supplies?"

Tristan had walked up. The man took out his walkie. "Jessie, you there?"

A voice crackled on over the radio. "Yes, Grant. What is it?" It asked.

"We talked to those people we detected near the southern fence, they're cooperating and moving. They've requested a meeting with you, they said they're low on supplies and want to try to find some deal where they can have some supplies."

There was no answer at first. "Alright, take them to the main gate. I'll speak with them."

"Yes ma'am." He hooked his walkie back on his belt. "Alright, follow our truck to our town. I'll warn you that we take our security seriously. If we think you're up to something, we take you down, lethal force if necessary."

Tristan nodded. "Understood. Thank you."

Grant nodded. "Alright, let's go."

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As they followed the truck, Sakura sat on the couch with her sister as Tristan drove the RV, whistling the tune to what he said was a metal song.

"I'm not happy with you." Sakura growled.

"Oh come on, it's so obvious that…"

"I don't." Sakura interjected.

"Then why are…" Amber started to ask.

"Because it was embarrassing, Amber." Sakura said.

"Come on, it really wasn't anything. It was a childish dare, made in a childish game. Its just fun." Amber said, still smiling. "I'm just trying to help you out."

"I don't need help. And it would be a bad idea anyway." Sakura said. She stood up and went to the fridge, ending the conversation. Amber got in one last tease. "Shame we didn't get to see his striptease." earning her a death glare from her sister.

The truck led them to a large pair of doors, and after a few moments they swung open, and the small convoy made it's way into the town.

As the group parked the vehicles along the side of the street where they were directed, a light orange haired woman approached them. Though she was shorter than the pair of guards who accompanied her, she nevertheless seemed to loom over them, a powerful demeanor on display. "Welcome to our town. I am Jessie Hartlidge. Now, if you wish to speak, I must ask that you turn over your weapons. They will be returned when you leave." She said, straight to the point.

John, Tristan, and Sakura all placed their hands over their weapons. "We don't like to be left defenseless." Tristan said, speaking for all of them.

"I understand completely. But you must understand that I don't know you, and I don't like to place my people. So one of us must submit to the other's demands, and considering that you are the ones who are requesting help, I would say it should be you."

Tristan was hesitant. "Fair enough. Can I at least keep my knife?"

"If you don't mind having one of my guards keep his gun trained on you at all times." She replied.

"I'm fine with that." Tristan said, taking his pistol out of it's holster and unslinging his katana. "The rest of my weapons are in the RV."

Grant went to each of the group members, all of whom turned over their guns and blades. When he reached John, he kept his hands on his weapons. "No."

Before any trouble could start, Sakura spoke up. "Then why don't you wait with the vehicles? Watch the kids?"

She looked at Jessie, who looked at John. "Two guards will stand watch. Make sure he stays in the vehicle."

Ella looked at the scowling John. "That sounds fair. More than reasonable. John?"

He glared at her. "Fine. Alice, David, in the RV."

Alice looked at Tristan, who patted her shoulder. "I won't be gone long. Go make sure John doesn't piss anyone off, that's your job. OK?"

Alice nodded, and followed David and John into the RV.

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Jessie led them to the main building, Grant keeping his gun on Tristan. Tristan turned to him. "So, looks like you've got a good thing going here. Strong looking people, good looking walls."

"Yeah." Grant replied. "Been here for four years. I was alone, Jessie took me in. I've faithfully served here as head of security since. It is a nice town, problem is people have forgotten the dangers of the outside world. They've become innocent."

Tristan nodded. "That's one of the reason's I've never really liked towns. People get lulled into a false sense of security, and it's dangerous to always stay in the same place. There's no guarantee a town will stay safe forever."

Grant nodded. "True. But if you do it right, like Jessie has, you get something great."

Tristan looked around. "Not a whole lot of people, though."

"Jessie runs it tight. Anyone not usable is a weak link. So if someone can't pull their weight, they're out."

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "What about kids? The sick?"

"Kids have until they're ten to start working otherwise, out. And it depends on how sick the person is. Unless it's crippling, they still need to work." Grant replied.

Tristan stared at him. "That doesn't seem wrong to you?"

Grant shrugged. "People need to pull their own weight. That's how it is."

"Doesn't have to be. It would go a lot better if people helped each other." Tristan argued.

"Look, we didn't let you in so you could criticize our way of doing things. So shut up and keep moving." Grant said, irritated.

Tristan said nothing, continuing to walk. Eventually they reached their destination.

They all went into a large office. Jessie sat down behind a desk, motioning to the others to sit in the numerous chairs around the room. "I'll be brief. "Unless you can do something to help us, you're going straight back out with nothing."

Tristan scowled, but Sakura talked. "Well, what do you need?"

Jessie thought. "Tell you what. A tank managed to get past our defenses, smashing apart our weapons depot and wall. I have everybody working on the wall, if you could repair our weapons depot, I'll give you supplies."

Sakura nodded. "Alright, how long will that take?"

"No more than a few days, if you all work. The walls are metal sheets, they just need to be replaced, and the weapons need to be put back, the windows replaced." Jessie replied. "You will need to sleep in your vehicles, I don't trust you enough to allow you to sleep in our residential area."

"That sounds fair." Sakura said. She turned to Tristan. "What do you think?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. We'll do it. Thanks for the offer."

Jessie nodded. "You'll start tomorrow morning, 7:00. Grant will wake you."

They all agreed, and headed back for the vehicles.

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That night, they split up among the vehicles. Grant took the first shift of watching over the visitors. After awhile, he took his radio to his mouth. "They've fallen asleep. Would you like me to take them now?"

Jessie responded immediately. "No. Might as well let them rebuild the weapons depot for us, save us the trouble. The night before they finish, then we'll take them. For now, we wait."

Review!


	14. Is There a Doctor In the House?

Hello again readers! What's this? Another chapter! Yay!

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The next morning, they got to work. Grant under Jennie's orders took two of his men to assist them in rebuilding the weapons depot, telling them where everything went.

Sakura held up a board, and reached for the hammer. She felt nothing. "Tristan!" She called out. "I need a hammer."

After a few moments, he moonwalked into her view. "You can't touch this." He moved his shoulders, waltzing over to her. "You can't touch this."

She stared at him, fighting the smile. "I need the hammer."

He whirled in a circle. "Break it down!"

She rolled her eyes. "Tris…"

He held out a hand. "Stop!" He whipped out the hammer, placing it in her hand. "Hammer time!" He started beat boxing, hammer dancing back to his work. "Go with the flow, it is said, if you can't groove to this then you probably are dead." He disappeared behind the corner, still singing, and Sakura rolled her eyes, smiling, and went back to working.

John held up a metal sheet, and found that he couldn't grab the blowtorch. "Ella, get over here."

Ella walked over. "Please?"

"Can you grab that torch? I can't weld and hold at the same time." john said, oblivious to her request.

She glared at him, and handed him the torch. "I'm busy." She said, turning and walking away, fully aware of John glaring at her from behind.

John looked around. "Connor! I need you!"

Connor ran over. "What?"

"I need you to weld this sheet." He said. "Here's the torch." Connor took it and started welding. "Now what was so hard about that?" John muttered.

After a few minutes, Grant called John over. John set down the sheet he was carrying and walked over. "What?"

"I wanted to ask what all you needed, so we could discuss what your work for us is worth."

John nodded. "Main thing we need is medicine. Pain pills, disinfectant, gauze, aspirin, basic stuff."

Grant wrote his requests on a clipboard. "Weapon wise?"

"Do you have military weapons?" Grant nodded. "Tristan needs ammo for the Mk 12 SPR. You have that?"

Grant flipped some pages. "As a matter of fact, we do, but no gun to go with them. You can have those. Anything else?"

"Small arms ammunition. We don't need any specific guns, we just need the rounds. We don't need much for food, we have some decent hunters and James knows all the safe plants to eat. We would just need some long lasting stuff, in case we run into a patch where food is scarce."

Grant wrote everything down. "Alright, I think we can do that. Anything else?"

Ryan popped his head around the corner. "Bullet proof glass, please."

Grant nodded, adding it to the list. "I'll double check with Jessie, but I think I can safely say we can get all those things for you." He looked at where Ryan had come from. "Why bullet proof glass?"

"That blue mustang we pulled in with? With the missing windshield? It's supposed to have bullet proof glass for the windows. We recently had to destroy the windshield, and he hasn't been able to find anything to replace it." John answered.

John nodded in thanks, and went back to his blowtorch. Grant looked at the working group. They were making great headway. Time to report.

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Grant walked into the building. The two guards stepped away from the secret door, and after he was safely behind it, he descended the metal stairs.

He stopped in front of the door. It was sealed tight, but the screams could still be heard behind it. Grant knocked, and the screams subsided for a moment, but whoever it had originated from was still groaning in pain. The door swung open, Jessie stood in front of him. "I hope this is important, Grant. The doctor is busy."

"It is, ma'am. I came to inform you that they're making considerable headway with the depot. They're going twice as fast as you predicted, they'll probably be finished by tomorrow night."

Jessie frowned. "How much will be done today?"

They'll probably be a little more than halfway done at the pace they're going."

Jessie thought. "Fine. Take them tonight. Go ahead and see if you can't lure their strongest away now, make it easier on ourselves tonight."

Grant nodded. "Yes ma'am." He turned, and walked away, back to the group.

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John's eye twitched. "Does he ever shut up?"

"I happen to like his singing." Connor responded as he torched the metal sheet John was holding. "And he's singing Disturbed songs. You _like_ that kind of music."

John glared at him. "Yeah, but he's got Ryan singing with him. And _he_ is not good."

As she said that, Tristan and Ryan rounded the corner, carrying a large table, singing in unison. "So sleep soundly in your beds toniiiiiight. Judgement falls upon you _at first liiiiiight_! I'm the hand of God! I'm the dark messiah! I'm the vengeful oooooone!"

John sighed as they went to the center of the room. "In the blackest moments, of a dying woooorld! What will you becoooooome?!"

James and Alec were carrying in lockers, Sakura was sitting down with Alice for a water break, as both of them had been on the roof in the glaring sun for the last hour. Diego carried a pipe over to Natalie and Rachel, who were adding in the supports. Rachel smiled, scratching Diego's ear as she took the pipe from his mouth. Aaron and Jaina worked on repairing the stairs and ladders. Amber and Sorano were on the roof with David, taking over for Sakura and Alice as they cooled off.

As Tristan and Ryan finished setting up the table, Ryan went to help Rachel and Natalie with the supports. Diego trotted up to Tristan, who rubbed his head. "Working hard?" Diego barked in response. "Good man." Tristan looked over at Sakura and Alice. He tried to avoid looking at the glistening sweat running from Sakura's neck to her crop top. "Hey, can you guys toss us a drink?"

Sakura reached into the cooler they had been provided with, and tossed Tristan a bottle. She covered her mouth to hold back her laugh as Tristan unscrewed the top and crouched down to let Diego drink from the bottle, then raised it to his own mouth.

James didn't find it as funny. "Tristan, that's disgusting."

Tristan raised his eyebrow. "You and I were sharing a bottle just an hour ago."

"Yeah, but neither of us is a dog." James said.

Diego barked in offense. "What does that have to do anything?" Tristan asked, completely serious.

James was dumbfounded. "It's never mind." He stared at Tristan's jacket. "It's nearly a hundred degrees out here, aren't you hot?"

Diego took another drink, followed by Tristan taking another swig. "Yeah, why?" He asked after he had swallowed.

James stared at him. "Nothing, just asking."

Tristan grinned, and motion for Diego to follow him to the second floor.

Grant waked in with two other guards. "Tristan, John, Sakura. Come with us, we need you."

Sakura got up and walked over with Tristan, John joining them halfway.

"John, Kenny needs your help with rather large piece of our armory. A chain gun." Grant said, reading off of a paper. "Sakura, Karen needs your help carrying in some wood we're going to need for the central support. Tristan, you come with me." Grant looked up at them. "I really do appreciate your help, guys, with everyone focusing on the wall we're shorthanded."

Sakura nodded. "Of course. "Let's go, Karen." She said, speaking to the woman.

"Actually, I'm Kenny. He's Karen." She said.

"Oh, sorry, I didn…" Sakura apologized.

The woman smiled. "I'm joking. Come on, wood's this way."

As they headed off, Kenny motioned for John to follow him, John nodded and followed.

"Kenny a man of few words too?" Tristan asked Grant.

"Yeah. Kind of a hardass too, but he's nice enough. Come on." Grant replied, turning and heading for the street.

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"Right around here." Karen said, rounding a corner.

Sakura followed, then froze as she was faced with ten shotguns all aiming at her head, and a stoic Karen. "Sorry, Sakura, Jessie's orders."

Sakura scowled, and in a blur of motion kicked out at Karen, who caught her leg, flipping her to the ground. Sakura pulled her down with her, going to snap her neck, when a guard rammed the butt of his gun into her head.

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John stared at the back of Kenny's head as he was silently led to the chain gun.

"Right around here." Kenny broke the silence, rounding a corner. John paused. Something wasn't right. He hesitated, then peeked around the corner, to see a fist flying at him. John ducked, narrowly missing it, and grabbed the fist, twisting Kenny's arm. He felt a prick at his neck, and pulled away a tranquilizer dart. His vision blurred, and he collapsed.

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Tristan followed Grant. He noticed Grant's demeanor had changed. He was tense.

Tristan stopped. "I don't think you've told me where we're going yet."

Grant stopped, then turned his head to look at him. "You'll see."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Awfully far from the construction site, aren't w…" he leapt out of the way as Grant whirled around to fire a tranq gun at him. He ran for Grant, when a dozen guards ran from around the corner, all aiming their guns at him. As he was distracting, Grant reached out, grabbing his neck and squeezing his pressure point. Tristan gripped his arms as his vision went hazy. "You just made the mistake of your life." He growled. Right before he passed out, "I… will kill you… with my bare h… han…" He collapsed.

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Tristan slowly opened his eyes. He tried to move his head, to find he was bolted in place, a metal band clutching his forehead with clamps on the sides of his head. He looked down as far as he could. He was strapped to a table, rough leather that tore at his wrists. He tried to wiggle around, the most he could do was shift his legs and arms. He was trapped. From what he could feel, his weapons were gone. And he was completely alone. There was a metal door at the end of the barren grey room. No window, no bars, just metal.

Unbeknownst to him, outside his room of imprisonment, John and Sakura were both in the exact same position, in their own rooms. All three of them wondering what awaited them.

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After what Tristan guessed to be an hour, there was a creak as the door was edged open, and a man in a white lab coat stepped into the room. He walked over to Tristan's table, and peered at him through his glasses. He was a short man, old looking, with thinning grey hair, and beady black eyes. "Tristan, I presume?" He asked.

Tristan glared at him. "Where are my friends?" He growled.

The man scribbled something on his clipboard. "Interesting. You awake in a strange room, trapped, betrayed by those who offered you hospitality, a man you've never seen before enters the room, and the first thing you ask is about your comrades?"

Tristan scowled. "If you've hurt them, I can promise you your death will be very painful."

The man nodded, scribbling again. "Mm hm. Don't worry, I haven't hurt them. Yet. Don't be fooled, my experiments _are_ painful. Right now, however, I'm simply doing a quick psychological and physical examination."

Tristan kept his scowl. "Let me save you the trouble. I'm murderous and crazy, and very very violent when my friends are hurt. And I'm in peak physical condition, strong enough to rip your shriveled head off when I get out of here."

The man was unfazed. "I see. Well, I have no doubt you're violent. I did have a question, though." He held up Tristan's leather jacket. "The lowest it has been outside today has been 91 degrees Fahrenheit, and yet you were working outside in this. Why?"

"Fuck you." Tristan snarled.

Another scribble. "Perhaps it's a sensory item. You feel exposed and vulnerable when you're not wearing it. Hmm?" Tristan simply glared. "Yes, I'm sure of that. Now, let's try some word association…"

Tristan stared at him. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

The man smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, actually. That was a joke. Now, I'd just like to conduct my physical."

Tristan realized his clothes were all missing, he was just in his jeans. The doctor gazed at his body. "Well, very healthy body. Covered in scars, though. It seems… bullet and knife wounds. A burn scar, seems like from a small explosion, were you in the military?"

"Navy SEALS. And I was trained to kill people in over a hundred ways with just my bare hands."

"Well, then should you keep your promise of escape, you'll be set." The man quipped. "Alright, that's all for now. I have yet to visit your friends, I will be returning to you in a short while. I think you'll be an interesting specimen."

Tristan tried in vain to raise his head as the man left. "Hey, you bastard! Don't you fucking touch them! I will spill your blood on the floor, you hear me?!" The door closed. "Stay away from them!"

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John gazed around the room for anything to help him. Nothing. Just barren metal.

He heard the door open, and tried to crane his neck to see who had entered. A small old man walked over to him. "And you must be John. Say, you look familiar? Are you John Nilsson? I was a fan of wrestling in the old world."

John scowled at him. "Where are my friends? Where am I? And who the hell are you?"

The man seemed surprised. "Hmm. Just like your friend, the soldier, your first question is of your friend's whereabouts? I must commend you, you people seem very loyal to one another. I wonder if the girl will be the same?" He wondered aloud.

John said nothing, glaring at the man. He had already worked out that Tristan and Sakura had also been captured. So this asshole had already spoken to Tristan. "You better hope I don't escape."

The man nodded. "Yes, Tristan said basically the same thing, though his version was a bit more colorful and violent. No matter, though. You won't escape. Oh, and as for your friends, they have not yet been harmed, and won't be until I start my experiments. But as for now, I simply wish to do a psychological and physical examination."

John remained silent, intent on not cooperating. The man simply stared at John. "You are much quieter than your friends. Though I don't get the feeling that you're thinking, rather you're simply trying to be difficult by not speaking. However, that has provided me with the information I need. As for the physical, your body is honed and healthy. Those years as a wrestler paid off, eh? You probably have a high pain threshold. Well, that will be all for now. I will visit you again."

With that, he turned, and exited the room, John plotting exactly how he was going to kill this man.

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Sakura was defenseless, and fully aware of her lack of clothing. Her shirt had been removed, thankfully not her bra, aside from that she was in just her jeans.

A man entered, and looked at her. "Where are my friends?" She asked.

The man grinned. "Amazing. Most people ask where they are, or who I am. Almost never 'where are my friends?' That was also the first thing I was asked by your friends."

Sakura glared at him. "Well? Where are they?"

"Same as you, in rooms just like these. Unharmed as of yet, though that will soon change. For now, a psychological and physical examination."

Sakura scowled. "Fuck you." She spat.

"Mm. You share Tristan's language. Though you have yet to be as violent."

She tensed. "Don't touch him. Or John."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I must. And I will be doing the same to you."

She scowled. "You will regret this." She smirked. "I would imagine he already threatened you, but I've seen Tristan do some graphic things. I think me getting you before him would be a blessing for you."

The man kept his smile, scribbling on his clipboard. "I see. He is a promising subject, it will be interesting to see what it takes to tame him."

Sakura glared at him. "Good luck with that. _None_ of us can be tamed."

His smile grew. "We will certainly see, won't we? Now, the physical examination."

"Don't you _dare_ touch me." She hissed, trying to arch away.

"Relax, contact is not necessary. Your body is healthy, tone. You're a strong woman." He put the clipboard under his arm. "Well, I'd say the exams are done. Now for the fun part." His smile was unsettling. "I will see you shortly."

He headed for the door, when Sakura called out, "Who the fuck are you?"

He grinned as he closed the door. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot to introduce myself. Call me Dr. Harper." With that, the door closed, a sharp clang as the lock slid into place.

Review! The next chapter should be along soon! In fact, because I've been on a writing roll, with any luck it may be posted later today! I may have too much free time on my hands.


	15. Experiments and Escapes

Whoop! Two in one day! Enjoy!

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Jessie looked over the table. Everything was set. She raised her radio. "Grant, how are the rest of the group?"

"They've asked a number of times where their friends are, I told them that the three of them were needed to clear out a horde that was hidden in the surrounding forest. Not sure if all of them are buying it, their work has slowed. I think we should have waited."

"Too late now. Call in the guards, once they stop working bring them in. No point in turning away perfectly good test subjects." Jessie replied.

"Yes ma'am." Grant replied.

Jessie hooked her radio back on her belt, and turned at the sound of the door opening. Dr. Harper pushed Tristan's table in. "Set him up, will you? I still need to get the other two."

Jessie nodded as he left, and set up the hooks, putting his table upright and raising it.

Tristan glared at her. "Any particular reason you're a cold hearted bitch?" He asked to her chagrin.

"I don't think that's any way to speak to a lady." She said, going about tightening his restraints.

"Well of course not to a lady. But I'm talking to you." He retorted. "And when I get out of here, you'd do well to know that I don't pull my punches just because I'm fighting a woman. I'm an equal opportunity killer."

She kept her face impassive as she set up the other two pairs of hooks for the tables, so that all three of them faced each other. She heard a gasp from Tristan as Harper rolled Sakura in, a purple slap mark across her face.

Tristan was furious. "You fucking prick! I told you not to fucking touch her!" He growled.

"Far worse is coming to all of you. She bit me, I punished her." Harper replied nonchalantly.

Tristan stared in worry at Sakura, who shook her head, or at least tried to. "I'm fine, Tristan. I'm a big girl, I can handle a slap from this asshat."

Tristan glared at the doctor. "You're going to…"

"You can cease with the threats, my boy. I won't be intimidated." He interrupted as Jessie rolled in John, and hung up his table. "Ah! Now we may begin."

He turned so he was facing all three of them. "Now, Sakura already knows my name, but you two," He gestured to Tristan and John. "don't. I am Dr. Harper. I am a renowned psychologist, and I especially am fascinated by the process of the human mind being manipulated. The following experiments will be very painful, and unpleasant, and disturbing. For you."

"Let me out of here, I'll show you disturbing." Tristan growled.

"Now, basically my goal is to turn you into slaves for Jessie to run her town. But in doing so, I get to conduct very interesting research! Were you not the subjects, I'm sure you would find this all very intriguing." He continued.

Jessie started to walk out the door. "I am needed topside, doctor. I will send in a guard to assist you."

The doctor dismissively waved his hand. "Of course. When you send them in, tell them to fetch me two of the broken."

Jessie nodded, and walked out of the room. Harper stared at the glaring captives. "I think, I will speak to you first, Tristan." He grabbed the sides of John and Sakura's tables, and rolled them towards a joining room. As he rolled them inside, he spoke to them. "You will hear screams, yelling, and gunshots. I will tell you now that I will be putting the marine through a test, where he must choose between two people. If I hear either of you talking, I will kill both people. So, silence please!"

He left them in the room. John remained silent, Sakura was panicking. What did the doctor mean, choose between two people?

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Tristan stared as a guard shoved two malnourished looking people into the room. Both were dressed in hospital gowns, both were frail and broken. Harper stood in front of the suspended Tristan. "So, here's what's going to happen. These two people are too weak for work, so we claimed that they have both died from illness, when in reality they are for my tests. Now, at least one of them is going to die." Harper grinned. "And you must choose which one."

Tristan glared at him. "No, I won't choose between two innocent lives."

"Ah, but you must! For if you don't choose within the first minute, I will kill both of them. Might as well choose at least one to live, no?"

Tristan stared in horror. Harper moved behind the two people kneeling on the ground. He placed a hand on the head of the right, a man with broken blue eyes and a black goatee. "This is Henry. He came here with his wife and children, all of whom are topside, mourning the loss of their father/husband. Don't you think it will be pleasant for them if he comes home tonight?"

He removed his hand, and placed his other one on the head of the left. A young but frail woman with blonde hair and green eyes. "This is Sasha. She came here with her boyfriend of six years. From what Jessie has told me, they're absolutely smitten with each other. They are each other's everything. Her boyfriend is topside hiding himself in their room. Imagine his joy should his beloved return to their home."

Harper removed his hand, and drew a revolver. "Now, starting now, you have sixty seconds to choose, or I kill them both. Go."

"No! You can't do this! This is cruel!" Tristan yelled angrily. "You're asking me to choose between the lives of two innocent people!"

"Indeed I am. Fifty seconds."

Tristan stared in helplessness at the two frightened people. The man spoke. "Please, my kids are up there! My wife! I can't…"

"I'm only 21! I'm too young to die!" The woman pleaded.

Tristan struggled at his restraints. "You're going to burn in Hell for this, Harper! And I will personally deliver you!"

"Thirty seconds, Tristan. Who will live, who will die?" Harper asked, sick glee in his eyes.

The man glanced at the woman. "Choose her." He said. "She's young, she can't d…"

Harper whipped his head with the gun. "Silence."

Tristan closed his eyes. "I can't…"

"Fifteen seconds…"

"You're a monster!" The woman shouted.

"Twelve."

"This is wrong!"

"Ten, nine…"

"Stop!"

"Eight, seven…"

Tristan's eyes were tearing up. "Please! I'm begging you!"

"Six, five…"

" _God damnit stop_!"

"Four, three, two…"

"THE RIGHT! SPARE THE RIGHT!" Tristan shouted, pain in his voice.

A gunshot rang out, and the man fell dead, blood pooling around his head. The woman had bursted into tears, Tristan was screaming at Harper, tears running down his face.

"Interesting choice. Tell me, what made you decide to let the woman live and let the man die?"

" _FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, AND FUCK YOUR TESTS! I'M GOING TO RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!_ " Tristan shouted.

Harper narrowed his eyes. "This will go much smoother if you cooper…"

"I'M NOT FUCKING COOPERATING! I'M GOING TO FUCKING BREAK OUT OF HERE AND FUC… DON'T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!" A guard grabbed ahold of the violently squirming Tristan, covering his mouth with a gag. "FCK YM! L FCKN KL M! FCKN BSTRD! FCK!" He tried screaming through the gag.

Harper gestured to the room with John and Sakura. "Bring them out and rehook their tables, would you?" He asked as he wrote on his clipboard.

The guard wheeled them out, and Sakura caught sight of the red faced Tristan immediately. "Tristan, Tristan!" She yelled. "What the hell did you do?!" She yelled angrily at Harper. Then she saw the crying woman and dead man lying next to her as she was strung up. "Oh, God, you fucking monster!"

"I'm just getting started, Sakura." Harper said in monotone.

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Amber walked over to James and Jaina as they welded a pipe together. "Guys." She whispered. "Something's wrong."

James nodded. "Yeah. There are guards hiding in the building across the street. And we still haven't heard back from Tristan, John, or Sakura. It's been five hours."

Ella walked over with an armful of wood. "What are we going to do?"

Jaina glanced over at Grant, who was staring at the three of them. "I'm going to go get the RV. All of our weapons are in there, we need to get out of here. They're definitely waiting on us."

"But Tristan has the keys." Ryan said, coming over.

James looked at him. "Can you hotwire it?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, may take a bit of time to avoid doing any permanent damage."

Jaina nodded. "Alright, then go get the RV. Once you get here, we need to hightail it out of here."

"Got it." Ryan said. He turned and walked over to Grant. "Hey, Grant, where's the nearest bathroom?"

Grant stared at him for a moment. "Kenny, escort him to the bathroom."

A guard disconnected from the group. Ryan silently followed him down the street. They approached a building, and Kenny gestured inside. Ryan walked in, Kenny following him. It was a bathhouse.

"Men's room is down there." Kenny said. Ryan nodded, and walked towards the door Kenny had referred to. He opened the door, and his eyes widened. "Oh my God." He breathed.

Kenny ran over. "What? What is it?" H peered into the room. "There's nothing…"

Ryan grabbed Kenny's knife and jabbed his side. Kenny doubled over, and Ryan kicked away his radio, and grabbed his neck. He found the pressure point he was looking for, and squeezed, knocking Kenny out. He grabbed his gun, and ran for the RV.

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"Kenny." Grant tried again. Still no answer. Grant glared at the group. "Ryan's made move. Move in, Jessie wants them alive."

With that, Grant advanced towards the group, five guards following him. The guards in the building all aimed their rifles.

Jaina narrowed her eyes. "They're making their move." She said. James took out the dagger he had hidden away, when a screech of car tires was heard.

The RV rounded the street corner, screeched to a halt in front of the building, blocking the guards' view of the group.

"Go!" Jaina shouted, and the group all took off for the door to the RV. They ran in single fire as bullets hammered the other side of the RV. Thankfully Tristan had armored the car well.

Ella was one of the last when she looked around. "Wait, where's Diego? Where's Corporal?! Corp!" CORP!"

James grabbed her shoulder. "We don't have time for this! We need to go, now!" A guard came around the side of the RV, and James stabbed his face, taking his gun. "Move, Ella!"

"I'm not leaving without my dog!" She shouted. James groaned, and picked her up, ignoring her fist as she punched him, yelling for her dog. Once everyone was inside, Jaina clutched Ryan's shoulder. "Go!" Everyone's on, go!" Aaron was curled up in the corner. Ryan slammed on the gas, and the RV sped down the streets, and they made their way for the gates.

Jaina realized what he was doing. "Ryan, stop. We won't make it through."

"Yes we will." He said. "We can smash through."

"Ryan, no! Those gates are a foot thick, and solid metal!" She argued. "Find another way!"

"There isn't another way!" He shouted. "Here we go!"

He sped up the tank of a vehicle, speeding for the gates. Jaina closed her eyes, bracing for the impact. There was a jolt, and she opened an eye to see that they had indeed smashed through, and were now speeding down the gravel path. "Keep going for another few miles, we need to regroup." She instructed, relieved his crazy plan had worked.

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Karen stood watch over the secret structure. She paced, watching for any unauthorized people. She noticed a shift in the shadows of the next door building, and walked over. She saw two sets of eyes, but they didn't seem human. She raised her gun. "Come out, hand up."

She heard a deep growl, and suddenly a massive dog leapt out of the shadows, tackling her. Her gun was knocked away, and she tried desperately to hold back the Doberman. The beast tore into her arm, and she cried out as her own blood dripped onto her face. Then the dog got off, and lunged again, this time for her throat. She was too slow. She clutched at her neck, gurgling and choking on her blood. As she struggled for life, the Doberman headed for the building, a large German shepherd joining him, both sniffing at the ground, looking for their missing friends. The shepherd's ears perked up as the Karen's radio crackled to life. "All hands needed, our visitors have made a break for it. They smashed open the front gates, all units report to the main building. Jessie is calling together a search party." The shepherd returned his attention to trying to sniff out the missing humans.

The Doberman went up on hind legs, placing his paw over the door handle and opening the door, and walking in, the shepherd behind him. The guard inside saw them and raised his gun, and both dogs leapt for him, each taking an arm, and chomping down. The Doberman barked, telling the shepherd to hold off on killing him. The Doberman sniffed at the wall, then barked at the guard. The guard realized what the dog wanted, and fearing for his life opened the secret door. After the door was opened, the Doberman tore out his throat, killing him.

The dogs made their way down the metal staircase, and came to a metal door. There was no handle, the lock was electronic, requiring a card. The Doberman had seen these locks before when he and Tristan were infiltrating bases. All they could do was return to the other humans, and try to lead them back here.

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Harper examined John's angry face. "Where did you get this scar?" he asked, running his finger along the jagged line that went across the man's face. "Sharp, jagged, not a claw mark. Broken glass? Jagged knife?"

"Fuck off." John growled.

Harper sighed. "I do wish the three of you would cooperate. You're only prolonging your suffering." He drew a knife. "I am going to ask again, where did you receive this scar?"

"Fuck. Off." John repeated.

"Very well. Tell me, John, how would you like a matching scar? A pair?" harper asked, pressing the tip of his knife against John's forehead, an inch from where the scar began. Slowly, he drew the knife across John's face. John grunted, struggling to hide his pain, determined to not give the sadist his satisfaction. "As I suspected, high pain tolerance." He continued to draw the knife across John's face, enjoying his hissing and grunting. He pulled it away, making a matching scar across John's now bloodied face, roughly an inch away from the original. "Very high."

"You won't break us." Sakura growled.

Harper turned to her. "I beg to differ. Tell me, aren't you curious as to why Jessie has so many guards, all willing to submit innocent people to this torture?" He grinned. "I'll tell you why. They are all tamed. They were almost all like the three of you. Defiant, denying the inevitable, some were as foul mouthed." He glanced at Tristan. "Though I must admit _you_ are the most violent one I have seen. Truly you are an interesting specimen." He returned his attention to Sakura. "Anyway, you would be hard pressed to find so many people willing to capture people and bring to me. One by one, I have molded their individual brains to be Jessie's slaves. Most of them were good men, Grant especially." He turned to face all three of them at once. "In fact, he was one of my greatest challenges. Very strong will, but I eventually broke him. Now he's head of security, a complete puppet. It's very interesting."

Tristan's eyes were full of hatred. "You brainwashed them." His eyes fell. "So it wasn't Grant's fault, then. He's just a puppet."

"Indeed." Harper replied. "Though I get the feeling the three of you will be even greater challenges."

"These are human beings, Harper!" Sakura exclaimed in anger. "Is your heart really so shriveled and cold that you don't have _any_ remorse?"

"Yes it is. My research is far more important to me than insignificant lives." Harper answered. "Now, what shall the next test be, hmm?"

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The group sat in a circle, stumped.

Alice broke the silence. "What are we going to do?"

"Well, we need rescue them of course." Jaina answered. "But we have no idea where they are."

James glanced at Ella, who refused to look at him. "Alright, look. We didn't have time to look for the dogs. We would have died. _You_ would have died."

"That's not the point. You had no right to just pick me up." Ella said.

James sighed. "Alright, I'm sorry. I made an on the spot decision, maybe it was the wrong one. I'm sorry."

Ella glanced at him. "Thank you."

They heard rustling, and they all turned, drawing their weapons. Ella cried out in happiness as Corporal walked into the clearing, Diego following. Both of their muzzles were caked with blood. Everybody got the feeling it wasn't theirs.

Ella hugged her dog, who licked her. "Oh my God, I thought you were dead!" She cried. She looked at him. "Where have you two been?" Corporal barked as Diego went over to the kids, who hugged him. "Guys, I think the dogs found out where Tristan Sakura and John are being kept!"

Aaron raised his eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"When you've had a dog as long as I have, you learn to be able to tell what they're saying. It's… I don't know. It' just a dog owner thing." Ella answered.

"Well, I hope you're right." Alec said. "Because that's the best lead we have."

"So, what? We go back, raise Hell, and the dogs lead us to them?" Ryan asked.

"I actually don't think it's that bad of a plan." Connor said. "I mean, they must have some damn good noses."

Ella grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go save our friends."

Things are heating up! Review!


	16. Death of a Scientist, Death of a Town

Hello once again! Welcome to the thrilling conclusion of this particular story arc. Enjoy!

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Grant peered through the scope of his rifle. When he didn't see anything, he raised his radio. "Jeremy, your team find anything?"

"Negative, sir. They've disappeared." A voice answered.

"They didn't leave, they won't leave their friends." Grant replied. "Keep searching."

"Yes sir." Came the reply. Grant heard his name called, and turned and looked down to see two guards carrying the mangled corpses of Karen and Hank. "We found them by 'The Building', sir, the secret door left ajar. It looks like dog bites."

Grant nodded. "They had two dogs with them, but they were missing when they made their escape." Grant scratched his chin. "I want extra security posted at 'The Building'. Those dogs are going to lead them to Dr. Harper, and we can't allow that." As they guards nodded and walked away, Grant grabbed his radio. "All units, return to town. We're going to let them come to us."

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Dr. Harper had sent the new subjects back to their rooms, and was typing away on his computer. An alarm went off on his watch, and he tapped the "OK" button. He swiveled around. "You there, guard. It's time for the subjects to eat, bring them their breakfast."

The guard nodded. "Yes sir." He went to the fridge and grabbed the old and cold meats and cheeses they gave the prisoners, and went to feed them. The marine was first.

As he reached for the doorknob, he heard singing. "The secret side of me, I never let you see. I keep it caged but I can't control it." The guard opened the door, and peered in to see the prisoner staring at him. "So stay away from me, the beast is ugly. I feel the rage, and I just can't hold it."

The guard shook his head, and went over to feed the prisoner. This one was already slipping. As he neared, the man's voice got more intense. "It's scratchin' on the walls, in the closet in the halls. It comes awake and I just can't hold it." The man kept his stare on the guard, it was unsettling. The guard hesitantly held out a piece of cheese, when the prisoner's hand shot out, clutching his throat and squeezing. The guard gasped for air. "Hidin' under the bed, in my body in my head. Why won't somebody come and save me from this, _make it end!_ "

The guard stopped struggling, dead, and Tristan dropped him, grabbing his keys. Tristan's wrist was bloody and torn, he had managed to work it out of his restraints. He went to work, unlocking himself from the table, continuing to sing. "I feel it deep within, it's just beneath the skin. I must confess that I feel like a monster."

He hopped down from the table, taking the man's gun and knife. "I hate what I've become, the nightmare's just begun. I must confess that I feel like a monster." He stopped singing as he reached the door, grinning, cold eyes. "Dr. Harperrrrrr, I'm coming for yoooooou." He sang.

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Sakura struggled at her restraints. She had slowly managed to get on of her hands free, at the cost of some skin around her wrist, and was now pulling at the other restraints. Then she heard a knock at her door. Nothing happened. "Who's there?" she asked hesitantly.

"Orange." came the muffled reply.

Sakura smiled. "Orange who?"

The door opened to reveal the grinning Tristan. "Orange you glad to see me?"

Sakura grinned. "Very funny. Now get me out of here."

"Yes ma'am." he said, going to work on unlocking her restraints. "I still need to get John. If I give you the keys, can you get him?"

Sakura nodded as she hopped down from the table. "Where are you going?"

Tristan grinned coldly. "To give that shit head a one way ticket to Hell."

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Jaina hid behind a rock as Ryan surveyed the gate through his binoculars. "I really did a number on that gate, it's all bent and some of the hinges tore off. They have several people committed to rebuilding it."

"Between the gate and the wall needing fixing, there's not a lot of people left over to guard." Jaina observed.

"So do we go in?" Ryan asked, looking at her.

She smiled. "Admire the eagerness, Ryan, but we need to be smart about this. We need to wait awhile. Not until night, then they won't have as many people working. But it's still morning, and it's turning out to be another hot day. Once noon rolls around, that's when we strike. The guards will all be tired and sweaty, less attentive."

Ryan nodded, smiling. "Smart."

Jaina returned the smile. "Yeah, I'm like that. Keep a lookout, I'll go tell the others about our plan."

Ryan nodded, returning his attention to the gate.

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Jaina walked down to the group, all of whom were preparing for battle. Ella was cleaning Corporal's muzzle of the blood, Diego allowing her to wash his muzzle too.

Jaina walked to the center of the scattered group. "Alright, guys, we're going in in about three hours, let the sun get nice and high in the sky. We're going to sneak in, and Diego and Corporal are going to lead us to Tristan, Sakura, and John."

They all nodded, and returned their attention to their activities. Rachel was with Natalie, making sure everybody's guns were loaded.

Rachel looked over at Alec and Connor, who were checking the RV for any major damage. She noticed how Connor kept gazing at Alec when his back was turned. "Hey Nat?"

Natalie looked up from the pistol she was examining. "What?"

Rachel nodded in the boys' direction. "Have you noticed…?"

"That Connor is head over heels for my brother? Yeah." She replied, grinning. "I haven't said anything, though, Alec's never been in a relationship before."

Rachel's eyebrows shot up. " _Never?_ Forgive me for saying this, but your brother is hot. Tall dark and handsome, I probably would have made a move by now if he wasn't gay."

Natalie chuckled. "Yeah, he's pretty nice, too. But there's not much time for relationships when we're working every day in the armpit of New York. He just never had time to get to know anybody. We barely went to elementary school, we had to drop out after Mom died and Dad turned to drugs. The closest he's ever come to one is the time he kept a picture of Daniel Radcliffe from a magazine he found. He thought I didn't know about it, though."

Rachel looked back over at the boys. "So he's probably not going to take any hints, huh?"

Natalie shrugged. "Probably not. I'm hoping Connor will ask him about it himself, he seems like a nice guy."

Rachel looked at her friend. "What about you? Did you ever get into a relationship?"

"I had a few flings. Bad boys, guys who were assholes basically." Natalie replied. "Never anything serious." Natalie looked at her. "What about you and Ryan?"

"Well, we also didn't have a whole lot of time on our hands. Ryan had this girl at the garage he worked at that he kind of liked, they went out for a while. There was this guy who went to the cafe I went to online school at every day, he was an on and off guy. We dated a few times. Again, a couple of sixteen year olds living on their own don't have a lot of free time on our hands." Rachel answered.

Natalie raised her eyebrows. "You guys were on your own too? What about your parents?"

Rachel tensed. "I-I don't want to talk about it." Rachel seemed to entirely focus on checking the guns now, an awkward silence in the air.

Natalie felt bad for upsetting her. "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to touch on bad memories."

Rachel shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Don't worry about it."

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As Sakura went to find and free John, Tristan stalked the halls. He was in the detainment area, dozens of people were in rooms just like the one he was in. He made a mental note to come back for them later.

He came to a locked door that required a card to pass. He cursed, he had to return to the guard to find his pass. As he turned to return to his room, however, he spotted an air vent that was fairly large in the ceiling. He crouched down, and jumped, grabbing a hold of the cover, and then fell, pulling the cover with him and landing on his feet. He set the cover down, the jumped again, hoisting himself into the shaft. It was large, and the air was stale. It occurred to Tristan that they were underground. Question was how deep? He got all the way in, and aimed himself in the right direction, and started crawling.

After a minute, he heard voices. Dr. Harper, and another one of his subjects. "So, Mr. Watson, I am going to give you a choice." Tristan made his way to a vent, and peered through it. A man was strapped to a table, a woman and a child bound in front of him, Dr. Harper with his revolver. "Your wife, or your child?"

"Please, I'm begging you, do whatever you want to me, just let them go!" The man pleaded. Tristan gritted his teeth. This bastard would pay.

"That's not an option, Mr. Watson." He aimed the gun to the woman's head, and the man started struggling. "Don't touch her!" he shouted.

"Ah, so will your son be the one to die?" He asked, moving the barrel to the crying child's head, causing the man to struggle even more. "No? So then it must be…"

Tristan punched the vent out, and dropped down into the room. "How about _you're_ the one to die?" He growled, standing up to his full height.

Harper paled, and turned to the guard. "Shoot him!"

Tristan ducked behind a table as the bullets slammed into the wall behind him. Assault rifle. Tristan peeked out and fired, his shot hammering into the guard's head.

And Dr. Harper was gone. Tristan cursed, then remembered the family. He went to untie the man, and once he was down he ran to help his family.

Tristan moved to the door at the end of the room, when Dr. Harper's muffled voice came from the other side. "Very impressive, Tristan. No one has ever come close to escaping. But unfortunately for you, you will still fail. I have locked the door from the other side with my special code, you will find it difficult to open."

Tristan gritted his teeth. He could _hear_ the smirk in the prick's voice. "Wanna test that theory?" he growled. "I'm coming for you, Harper. You're going to pay for hurting these people, and for hurting my friends."

"Will I now?" came his voice. "Or will you and everyone in there suffocate before you make it through the door? You're very deep underground, Tristan, and I am more than capable of shutting down the ventilation." He chuckled. "So long, soldier boy."

Tristan banged his fist against the metal door. "I _will_ break down this door, I _will_ find you, and I _will_ kill you!"

He heard a beep, and turned to see Sakura open a door at the other end of the room, green card in hand. "Tristan, where is that bastard?" She asked angrily.

Tristan jabbed his thumb at the door. "Locked us down here. He's going to cut off the ventilation, suffocating us."

Sakura cursed. "Can we get past the door?"

Tristan looked at the number pad. "Well, it's solid metal, probably a really complicated lock. So unless you want to enter every possible combination, I'd say no."

John walked in behind Sakura. "He had yours and Sakura's swords and your leather jacket in the back." He said, tossing Tristan his sword and jacket, and handing Sakura her sword.

Tristan tossed his the keys. "Can you go release the other prisoners? There were a lot of rooms just like ours."

John nodded, turning back to head to the detainment area. Tristan walked over to Sakura, avoiding looking down past her head. He handed her his jacket. "Here, put this on."

Sakura looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"Well, I'm not the one in his underwear." He said, smiling. "You can wear this to cover up."

Sakura looked at the jacket, smiled, and accepted it, wrapping it around herself and zipping up the front. "Thank you." She said.

His smile grew. "I want it back once we get our clothes back."

She grinned. "I don't know, this is actually pretty comfortable. I might keep it."

Tristan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure." He turned to head over to the door. Now that the adrenaline had left her system, it hit her that Tristan wasn't wearing a shirt. She felt her face heat up, and she went to find John to help free the other prisoners.

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Jaina, Ella, and James stood with Diego and Corporal in the foliage. Jaina raised her walkie to talk to Ryan. "You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. You sure you don't want us to go with you?" Ryan asked over the walkie.

"I'm sure. You guys just focus on keeping their security occupied while we find and rescue the others." Jaina answered. "Now go in there and raise Hell."

"Will do." Ryan replied. Jaina heard the roar of the RV's engine, and the vehicle shot out of the tree line, and smashed through the impromptu gate the townspeople had made while they focused on rebuilding the main one. Gunfire went off, and they caught a glimpse of their people returning fire from the roof of the RV.

Once the RV had made it into the city, Jaina turned to her comrades. "Alright, let's move. Lead the way, dogs."

Diego and Corporal barked, and took off, the humans following them.

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Ryan gritted his teeth as he narrowly avoided a spike trap a guard had thrown out in front of the RV. "Aaron, how are those explosives coming?!"

Aaron was frantically putting together homemade pipe bombs with Amber. "We're going as fast as we can!"

Alec reached out to the table and grabbed one, lighting the fuse and tossing it out of the window. There was a faint explosion followed by screams. "Connor. There's a sniper on the roof of that building!" he called out.

"I see him." Connor replied, aiming his rifle and firing. "Sniper down!"

Rachel and Natalie were firing out of the back. "Guys, problem! They took our APC, and they're heading for us!"

Amber tossed them a handful of bombs. "See is those do anything!"

"Well we can't blow it up, we need to take it back!" Natalie argued.

Connor moved to the front door of the RV. "Ryan, slow down a bit, let them catch up to us. I'm going to try and commandeer it."

Alec moved up with him. "I'll go with you." he failed to notice Connor's reddened face.

Ryan stared at them. "That's insane, they outgun us."

"They won't once we get the APC's machine gun." Alec argued.

Ryan cursed as a bullet hit the window. Thankfully Tristan had done the same as him and replaced the windows with bullet proof glass. "Fine, slowing down."

The APC pulled up next to them, and then they started firing the machine gun. The bullets hammered into the sides, denting the walls. Connor threw open the door, and leapt out, grabbing onto the side, Alec joining him. The RV sped up, racing away.

Connor pulled himself up to the top, to come into contact with the fist of the gunner. A beefy guard.

Alec pulled up, and tackled the guard, bringing them both down to the ground. Connor moved to operate the machine gun, as Alec tried in vain to overpower the guard. The guard pinned him, then a spray of blood covered Alec as Connor unloaded the gun into the guard's back. As the guard fell, Alec shoved him over the side, moving for the hatch where the driver would be.

He threw it open, reeling back to avoid getting shot in the face by the angry driver. Alec went back in, drawing his own pistol and shooting the driver's knee cap. He grabbed the screaming guard, pulling him out and tossing him to the street, hopping into the driver's seat, grinning.

They moved through the streets, Alec trying to find the RV while Connor blew away the opposing guards.

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Jaina grinned as she spotted the RV moving through the streets. They were doing an excellent job.

Ella called her back to reality. "Jaina! This is the place."

Jaina followed them into an old looking building. The dogs went over to a wall, and barked at it. Jaina narrowed her eyes as the other stared in confusion at the wall and dogs. She ran her hands over the wall, and felt a bump. She ran her hand over the bump. This part of the wall felt different from the rest. It was… rubbery. She pressed against it, and it caved. A hidden button. After pressing it, part of the wall slid away. A secret door.

Past the door were a long set of rickety looking metal stairs. James coughed. "Ladies first."

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All of the patients were gathered in the lab. Forty-seven in all. Sakura gazed at the mass of frail and malnourished people. As horrible as her and her friend's experience here had been, it haunted her that these people had most likely suffered just as horrible if not worse torture for far longer than they had. She clenched her fists. She hoped that whoever among them got to Harper first, they would give him a painful death.

Tristan walked in, scowling. "Nothing. There's nothing here that can help us." He looked over at the door, where one of the prisoners was trying to enter every possible combination. "How long has he been at it?"

"Fifteen minutes. And as large as this place is, I think Harper may have actually sucked out some of our oxygen. It's already getting hard to breathe." Sakura answered.

Tristan cursed. "John is looking for another way out. If only we had a blowtorch, or a saw or _something_."

He looked over at a woman who had fallen asleep. "Check to see if she's okay. As unhealthy as these people are, I wouldn't be surprised if people started passing out… LOOK OUT!"

The woman's eyes had opened, grey now, and she snarled. She had turned. And even worse, she was mutating into a boomer. The mass of people panicked, and ran, blocking Tristan's aim. By the time the crowd of people cleared into another room, the zombie was almost upon them. It was too close to fire now, Tristan grabbed Sakura's arm and ran through the door, shutting it as the bulging zombie neared. He backed away, and aimed at the door.

The boomer scratched at the door, slowly nudging it open. Once he had a clear shot, Tristan fired, and the boomer exploded, guts and blood staining the walls.

He sighed. "We need to find some way out of here, fast."

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They finally reached the bottom of the stairs. The dogs raced ahead of them, and started barking in worry at the metal door. Ella reached the door before Jaina and James caught up, and stared at the keypad by it. She looked at Jaina. "Any way past this?"

"Not unless you have the code or at least sixteen ounces of C4." She replied.

Ella cursed. "Well, we need to get in there somehow, or…"

"Ella?"

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Coupled with the gas from the boomer and the ever depleting oxygen, people's lips were turning blue and their breath was catching, quickly.

Sakura had found a tap, and was trying to get people to drink from it. Meanwhile, Tristan and John were trying desperately to open the door, using any means necessary.

Tristan cursed, tossing away the now bent crowbar. "The only way past this damn door is the code or an explosion."

"I don't think an explosion is the wisest option." John commented.

"Probably not. But wouldn't the explosion be toned down a bit from the lack of air or something?" John stared at him. "What? Science, and stuff, I don't know. I thought fire couldn't happen without air."

"In total absence of oxygen, fire is unable to sustain itself." A prisoner piped up. "But the explosion you'd need wouldn't be 'toned down' very much, even without the normal amount of air. CO2 can also keep fire going." Tristan stared blankly at him. "Carbon dioxide?"

"Oh." was Tristan's response. "Well, I'm out of ideas."

John thought. "Maybe we can…"

Sakura had come up, and placed a hand over his mouth. "Shut up for a second."

They listened, to what sounded like talking on the other side. John pressed his ear against the door. "Ella!" He shouted.

The talking stopped. "John?" came Ella's reply.

Tristan hurried to stand next to John. "Ella! Can you open the door?"

"No, there's a keypad. Are you guys okay?" She responded.

"We managed to escape, we're fine. Listen, the man who held us hostage has cut off the oxygen to the bunker, we're suffocating. We can't do anything on our end!" Sakura replied.

They heard muffled conversation. "Would one of the guards know?"

"Probably, but you won't be able to make them talked. Listen, all of the guards, Grant, Kenny, Karen, all of them, have been brainwashed by an old man named Dr. Harper. He's a sadistic fuckhead who's been torturing us, trying to break our minds to turn us into guards." Tristan said. "He's molded them into slaves for Jessie." Tristan wiped away the sweat on his brow, he was starting to feel the eff3cts of the lack of oxygen. "Alright, look, we have as much chance of getting out of here as you do freeing us. We just need to figure out the code. So go make sure Jessie and Harper don't escape, and if you can figure out the code from one of them. We'll try to get out on our own."

"No, fuck no." Came Jaina's voice. "We broke in here to free you, we're not leaving you."

"Guys, the only way you can get us out of here is by getting Jessie or Harper to give you the code. Go find them, and hurry!" John shouted. "Every second we waste arguing is more air gone. Go!"

They heard James say something to the girls, and then running. Sakura sighed. "Alright, so what are we going to do here?"

Tristan glanced at the man who had been trying every combination. "Where'd you leave off?"

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Jaina and the others turned to make their way back up the stairs, to come face to face with a stony Grant, flanked by ten guards. "It ends here." He said. "You have been a nuisance to Jessie for long enough."

Jaina scowled, but Ella walked up. "Is it true, Grant? Dr. Harper brainwashed you?"

Grant hesitated, tensing. "No. He improved us. He showed us Jessie's power. Her greatness. Jessie has built this town from the ground. He just helped us see that."

Ella was about to speak, when Tristan's voice came from the other side. "Grant, it's Tristan. Harper told us everything. He told us that you were one of his greatest challenges. Grant, they're using you! Can't you see that?"

Grant looked at the door. "Of course I can. But I'm okay with that, I am contributing to a great community."

"Grant, I can't imagine the horrible things you went through. He's been torturing us too, along with so many others. He murdered innocent people in front of our eyes. Unimaginable horrors reside in this Hellhole. Don't let yourself be a pawn! Try to remember who you are!" He yelled.

A guard spoke up. "We're ready to fire on your order, Grant."

Grant stared at the door. "The old Grant is dead. I am a pawn, as I should be."

"Grant, who were you in your old life? Did Harper take your memories?"

Jaina noticed Grant slowly lowering his gun. "I… was a police officer."

"Then you should be protecting the innocent, not handing them to that sadistic bastard. You can still come back from this, Grant, this can't be the real you." Tristan pried. "A true officer of the law would fight for what's right, and this sure as Hell isn't right!"

Grant was silent. The guard from before spoke again. "Sir, should we…"

Grant held up a shaking hand. "I… don't… shoot…" He grabbed his head. "Fuck…"

He was trembling. The guard scowled. "Grant has been compromised. Fire at w…"

He was cut off by the sound of Grant's gun as he fired. The guard dropped dead, and Grant shot each other guard one by one as they stood in shock. Grant was shaking uncontrollably. "5… 6, 7… 2."

James rushed for the pad, punching in the combination. The door popped in, and they all swore they could hear the whoosh of air as the prisoners all rushed out, gasping at the air.

Tristan allowed Diego to frantically tackle him in joy at his reunion with his master, moved over to Grant, and kneeled down with him. "Grant?"

Grant was shuddering. "Go… just go."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Come with us."

"…No. Just… leave me. I've… done so many horrible things." he responded.

John walked up. "You can redeem yourself, Grant. Help us take down Jessie and Harper."

Grant stared up at the group of people, all so willing to forgive him. "…Harper… called all the guards to the commons area… to kill the townspeople. The guards are going to gun them down."

Tristan scowled. "Where are they now?"

"Harper went to Jessie's office." Grant responded, slowly standing to his feet.

Tristan stood up. "You all go save the townspeople. I'm going to pay our hosts a visit." he growled.

Grant called out to him as he ran for the stairs. "Tristan… save Jessie for me."

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Dr. Harper watched as Jessie paced her office. "Jessie, we need to leave." He said, pushing up his glasses. "The subjects have escaped, they're coming to kill us. We need to take what guards we have left, dispose of the witnesses, and leave. We can pick back up in another location."

Jessie looked at him. "Dispose?"

"We can't leave the townspeople alive, with what they've seen here. I've taken the liberty of summoning them to the main hall, the guards await your order to terminate them." She was silent. "The guards you dispatched to hold them back won't survive. Tell your guards to kill the people, and then head for the garage so we may escape."

Jessie took a deep breath. "Do it."

Dr. Harper grinned, and held up his radio. "You have her blessing. Terminate the townspeople." A second later, they heard gunfire and screams in the distance. "Let's go, Jessie."

They headed for the door, when it swung open, and Harper screamed. The marine was standing in the doorway, smiling, murder in his eyes. "Dr. Harper, I've been looking for you." He said with insane glee. He turned his eyes to Jessie. "You, you can go."

Her mouth dropped. "W-what?"

"I'm giving you this one chance to run. But that's only because my friend wants to have the pleasure of killing you. _He's_ the one _I_ want." She stood still. "You have five seconds to run before I gut you myself."

She unfroze, and took off. After she left, Tristan closed the door. "Now that we're alone, Harper." Tristan locked the door, holding a steady gaze with the terrified doctor. "Dr. West has some experiments of his own that he'd like to conduct."

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Grant ran with the group. Tristan had run ahead of them, and all the prisoners had run off on their own, delirious. They didn't have time to track them down.

As they exited the building, the RV and APC pulled up. Ryan opened the door. "Need a ride?" He asked, grinning. It fell when he saw Grant. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

"Change of heart. No time to explain, punch it for the commons area." Sakura ordered. Ryan nodded as they all filed into the vehicles, and they took off for the commons area.

They reached it in two minutes. Just before they reached it, gunfire rang out, followed by screams, which slowly diminished. Ella buried her face in her hands as they rounded the corner. They collectively gasped in horror. Nearly a hundred people lay dead, the guards slinging their weapons over their shoulders.

Connor roared in rage, firing the turret on the APC. The guards were caught off guard, as Connor pumped their bodies full of lead. The others drew their weapons, running outside to join in the firefight. Grant fired his pistol with pinpoint accuracy, and the guards quickly fell.

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Tristan picked the struggling Harper up, and threw him across Jessie's desk. Office supplies scattered, papers flying. "So, Dr. Harper, I'll let you choose. Will I break your legs first, or your arms? Answer in the next two second starting now, or I'll… too late! Looks like it'll be both! Yay!"

Dr. Harper tried in vain to crawl away, then screamed in pain as Tristan curb stomped his leg, shattering the bone, then repeated with the other leg. He grabbed Harper's collar, and snapped his brittle arms in half, one by one, drawing painful cries from the doctor. "Interesting, interesting. Tell me, which hurt more? Arms or legs?"

Dr. Harper writhed in agony. "Y-you're insane!"

Tristan's dark grin grew? "Really? What was your first clue?" He picked up the tiny man, and threw him against the window. "What's wrong, Doc? Can't take your own medicine?"

Dr. Harper gasped for breath. "P-please…"

"No no no, you don't _get_ to beg for mercy!" Tristan shouted, the grin gone. "I'm going to make you _suffer!_ " He bent down, drew his arm back, and bitch slapped him. " _That_ was for Sakura!" He drew his knife. "And _this_ is for John!" He dug the tip into the doctor's forehead, and slowly drawing the blade across his screaming face. "How does it _feel_ , doctor? For the tables to be turned?" He pulled away the knife. "I told you that I'm strong enough to rip your putrid head off. How about I prove it to you?"

Dr. Harper's eyes widened, and he shook his head frantically. "N-no need for that, I believe you!" He pleaded. "Please, spare me!"

Tristan scoffed. "Take it like a man, Harper." He grabbed his head, and lifted him to the window, and slammed his head against it. "You will _never._ " He slammed Harper's head against the window again, cracking the glass. "Hurt _anyone._ " Another slam. The window was close to shattering. " _EVER AGAIN!_ " He slammed the barely conscious doctor against the glass again, shattering it, the glass raining around them, the wind now in their faces. "Come on, Doc! Stay with me! I want you alive for the finale!"

He slapped the doctor, drawing him back. His last sight was Tristan's crazed eyes and cold grin. "Burn in Hell, Harper." With that, Tristan slammed Harper's neck into the broken glass along the base of the window. As he pulled away, Harper grasped his bloody throat, the lodged glass sticking out between his hands. He fell twitching to the ground, and Tristan watched as he died. Once the doctor stopped writhing, Tristan drew his gun and placed a bullet between his eyes. He pursed his lips. "I can't think of any good doctor puns." He thought aloud. He shrugged to himself. "Ah well." He turned to go out of the office, to join his friends. As he closed the door, he took one last glance at the corpse of his friend's torturer. "Didn't suffer enough."

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Within three minutes, all the guards were dead. As Grant looked out upon the bodies of his fallen comrades, the others looked among the bodies of the civilians, looking for survivors.

John watched as his group looked for survivors. He heard Diego growl, and turned to see a man watching them. "Who are you?"

The man came all the way around the corner. He was a wiry man, caramel skin with piercing brown eyes. He had a green jacket over a black T-shirt that vulgarly had "Shit Happens" across the front, along with torn jeans, combat boots, and a black baseball cap. "Name's Wade, but I prefer it when people call me Dom. I realized what was happening, and snuck off before the guards opened fire. Are… are they all dead?"

Ella had come up. "Yeah, they are. You're the only survivor?"

Wade… Dom shook his head. "No, a woman, Elizabeth, stayed behind to try and gather up some books. I saw her heading for the commons area when the shots rang out, and she ran away, she sh… that's her over there!" He yelled, pointing.

John and Ella turned to see a woman with bright red cropped hair in a suit brushing past Sakura, looking out among the dead, tears streaming down her face. "She was the acting teacher for the younger kids here." Grant commented. "She's… sensitive. I can't imagine she's taking this well."

The woman's gaze landed on Grant, and her face twisted with anger. Before the others could stop her, she stalked up to Grant. "You monsters! You… you… you killed _everyone!_ There were kids here! Look at them!" She waved her hand at the pile of corpses. "You sick people killed _children!_ "

Grant simply as she pounded her fists against his chest, crying. "How could you!" she screamed over and over.

Tristan had walked up. His face was stony as he walked up to John. "I hate to ask this." He whispered as the others worked to console the woman, trying to explain what had happened to the guards. "But I don't think the guards were aiming for the heads. These people need to be silenced before they turn. The kids are going to turn faster."

John nodded. "I tried doing it a minute ago, Ella stopped me. Called me a heartless bastard."

Tristan scratched his head. "Heartless or not, we should act fast. There's a lot of people here, and they're all roughly going to turn at the same time."

John drew his knife. "I'll start over by the left. You start on the far right."

Tristan nodded, drawing his sword. He hesitated, glancing at the woman. "Ella, can you take her to the RV with the kids? We… need to get busy."

Ella nodded, taking the sobbing woman's shoulders and leading her back to the RV where the kids were already waiting with Sorano and Amber. Tristan turned to James and Dom. "You two. We need to get this over with before…" He was interrupted by high pitched moans. He gazed sadly at at the rising children. "…Fuck I hate doing this."

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They all regrouped at the front gate. Grant had gone looking for Jessie, and John took Alec, James, Alec, and Jaina to gather any supplies they could use from the storehouses. Tristan approached Elizabeth, who was still working on regaining her composure. "Elizabeth? Can I call you Liz?" The woman nodded weakly. "Alright, Liz. I realize you've been through a lot. What happened here was horrible, and I can assure you that the people who did this have been brought to justice. I'm going to offer you, and Dom, to come with us." He raised her chin to look at him and smiled. "And actually, I'm taking care of two nine year olds. Alice and David. Dom mentioned you were a teacher, and well, I'm not very bright when it comes to academics. I'd love it if you could help me in educating them?"

The woman perked up at his words. She wiped her nose. "May I meet your children?"

Tristan smiled and nodded. "Alice, David, come over here."

The kids shyly walked over, and the woman transformed. She smiled warmly, her eyes shining and bright. "Alice? David? I'm Elizabeth, it's lovely to meet you."

Alice smiled, and stuck out her hand, the woman gasping and complimenting her on her politeness. "And you're David?"

David nodded. "Yeah. Nice to meet you ma'am."

Liz smiled at Tristan. "They're very polite. Where did you find them?"

Tristan's smile fell. "Bad story, I'll tell you later. Allie, Dave, Liz is going to be a teacher for you guys."

David frowned. "Aw, I hate school."

Liz chuckled at this. "Most children do. But I try to make my lessons interactive and fun, so I hope you'll enjoy my school."

Diego barked, and they all drew their weapons to see a disheveled Jessie, glaring at them, holding a trigger. "You, bastards. You ruined everything! I have been working to build this town for _five fucking years,_ and then you just come in and ruin everything!"

Tristan stalked towards her. "You were brainwashing people, handing them over to that psychopath! You built this town on sin, and now you're going to pay for your sin." Tristan grinned. "Have you by any chance seen your friend Harper's corpse? I wasn't gentle. And I won't be with you either."

Jessie scowled. "Like Hell I am. I rigged those gates with C4 three years ago, in case of intruders." She grinned. "And you're all _right in front_ of them. I may have lost everything, but I will have my revenge. Burn in…"

A gunshot rang out, and Jessie gazed in shock at her chest as blood flowered across her white shirt. She fell, to reveal Grant standing behind her. "Vengeance is mine tonight." He growled. He holstered his gun, and walked over Jessie's shuddering corpse, picking up the detonator from where it had fallen from her fingertips. He tossed it to Tristan, who caught it. He walked up to the group. "Thank you, for freeing me. Though my deeds are their own prison, you helped avenge all the people who suffered here." He gazed back out at the now deserted town. "Now, I think it's best you leave me here."

Tristan walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not happening. Everything you did wasn't you. You were a zombie of your own kind, a pawn in Jessie's plans. You can move past that." he grinned. "You can join me in my crusade."

Grant raised his eyebrow. "Crusade?"

"Yeah. I move around, having dedicated my life to helping those who need help, bringing justice to assholes, protecting any innocent I can." Tristan replied. "Come with us, Grant. I'd say you've redeemed yourself."

He stared at Tristan's inviting face. "I… don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Just get in the RV." Tristan said, still smiling. He clapped Grant's back, and turned to Dom and Liz. "And as I said, you are both welcome to come with us."

Liz nodded immediately. "Of course, I'd love to get to know Allie and David better. Thank you."

Dom scratched his head. "Well, not like I have anywhere else to go. Thanks."

Tristan nodded, then turned to see John scowling as he returned with the others. "Bitch torched the storehouses, everything was burnt to shit."

Ryan held up a box. "But we _did_ find bullet proof glass, so I'm happy."

Tristan let out a small smile. "Cool." He turned to John. "Grant, Dom, and Liz are joining us."

John sighed. "We're going to run out of food fast at this rate."

Tristan clapped his back as everyone prepared for the road. "We'll get through it, John. I know we will."

Review! Thank you once again to Hawk-eye-33 for the villain, and we have three new members! One of whom is courtesy of RuffDaScholar. Thanks for Wade "Dom" Jones, man. And happy Father's day everyone! Give your dad a call, tell him you love him. Or them, depending on what kind of family you have. Anyway, until next time!


	17. Captured and Scared

**Hello! New chapter time. Enjoy. Also, I created a forum specifically for people who are a part of the story. Meaning anyone who has sent in a character who has been accepted by me. That includes villains, even ones that haven't appeared yet, so RideableJockey, DarkMatterPhantom, if you're still reading you can join too, and so on. The title is Walking Dead AU forum. I don't know if you can find it on my profile or not, but if you need help finding it just PM me. It's for whatever we want to talk about, whether it's about the story or just fun discussions. So feel free to join!**

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A few hours of driving after they had left the town, it was getting dark, so they found a campsite and parked. Dom had an armored prison truck he had found at an abandoned prison, so now they had that in their convoy. Ryan went to work replacing his and Tristan's windows with new bulletproof glass, Jaina helping him. Connor went inside the RV with a hammer to try and push the dents in the walls from the bullets back. Rachel and Natalie started cooking dinner.

Sorano and Amber talked to Elizabeth and Dom about the basic dynamics of how their group worked. Shifts, jobs, etc. "Ryan over there is our designated mechanic. Tristan, John, Jaina, Ella, and Sakura are our usual hunters, they go out and get us our food."

Tristan walked up. "Rachel is in charge of medical supplies, due to her experience in the medical field. James sometimes acts as a helper, since he has basic medical knowledge. He's also in charge of gathering edible flora. Alec and Connor are in charge of making sure our defenses are tight, so that we can easily be protected in case anything comes along. Natalie and Rachel act as cooks, along with me. Aaron is… like a gopher. He does whatever he's needed to." Tristan looked over at the kids. "We'll take care of people even if they can't work, due to severe injuries or otherwise, but we'll like you a lot better if you pull your weight." He looked back at the three newcomers. "Liz, I'd appreciate it if you made it your job to watch and teach the kids. Grant, you'll help Alec and Connor with defenses, if you'd like." He turned to Dom. "And you… I don't know your skill set."

Dom raised his eyebrow. "I used to be a cop. I was just in my first year when Z-Day hit, but I'm a decent shot and a good planner. Also, I consider myself to be fairly intelligent."

Tristan nodded. "Alright, we could always use an extra hunter. Are all of you good with those jobs? Or would you want to contribute in some other way?"

Grant stood up. "I'm just thankful to be here, I'll do whatever's needed of me."

Liz nodded. "And I would love to take care of the kids."

Tristan smiled, and looked at Dom. "How about you?"

Dom shrugged. "Yeah, sure. So, do I go hunt?"

Tristan shook his head. "No, too dark out. We'll head out tomorrow. For now, just make yourself comfortable here." With that, he turned and walked over to Alice and David, telling them it was time to brush their teeth.

Ella approached John with their med kit. John raised his eyebrow. "What's that for?"

Ella stared at him. "Well, there's the uncleaned gash in your face, and the fact that said face is caked with blood."

John reached up to touch his new wound, courtesy of Dr. Asshole. "I'm fine." He stated.

Ella rolled her eyes. "Not buying it. We need to clean your wound."

John turned away from her. "We're running out of medical supplies, save it for someone who needs it."

Ella scowled. "John, it's going to get infected if it hasn't already. You need to…"

"I don't _need_ anything. Those supplies could be used on someone else." John argued, facing her again. "I'm not going to…"

Ella unscrewed the cap to the disinfectant, and poured a little over a gauze pad. "Whoops, clumsy me. Well, I can't put it back, so might as well use it. We wouldn't want to waste supplies now, would we?" she said, smirking.

John scowled at her, but sat down. "This _is_ a waste of supplies." He grumbled as Ella sat in front of him.

"Maybe it is to you, but just because you act tough doesn't make you immune to sickness." Ella retorted, placing the disinfectant over his wound, a sharp hiss escaping his lips as she wiped away the blood. He said nothing as she worked to clean his wound. After she finished, she pulled away, and her face fell. "Oh… John."

His original scar had run from the right side of his forehead, across his brow, over the bridge of his nose, ending on his cheek. But his new scar was even more jagged, wider, spanning his face, going over his eye. Thankfully the blade hadn't damaged his actual eye, but his lid had a cut in it, and his tear duct had been sliced. He stared at her somber face. "I'm fine." He said after a minute of silence. "It's just a scar."

Ella shook her head. "I wouldn't look in the mirror for a while if I were you."

John shrugged, standing up. "It doesn't matter, Ella. It's not going to affect me." he turned to return to his watch. "Don't worry about me."

Ella watched his back for a moment, then stood to return the med kit back to her car.

Sakura sat with Liz, as the two of them watched Tristan brush his teeth with the kids. He told them to be thorough, holding a bucket and cups of water for them to wash and spit in. Once they finished, he held out a cup, and they all dunked their brushes, rinsing them off. He dumped all the dirtied water into the bucket, and let Alice and David dump the water out.

Liz smiled. "He really is quite good with the kids isn't he?" She commented. When Sakura didn't answer, she glanced at the woman, to see her staring at Tristan. Liz smiled. "You two are close?"

Sakura nodded, then realized what she was saying. "Yeah… No! Well, yes, we are, but not the way you're thinking."

Amber happened to be passing by with firewood. "Sakura's totally crushing on him." she said as she passed by, earning a jab in the leg from Sakura.

Liz's smile grew. "I see." was all she said. She looked back at Tristan and the kids, and her smile turned into a frown. "Though, and I mean no offense by this, but is he qualified to be taking care of them?"

Sakura's head snapped to look at her. "What?"

"Well, he seems… unstable. Violent." She chose her words carefully.

Sakura stared at her. "Well… he is. In a way. But he would never let anything happen to those kids. He's only violent when he's fighting his enemies, all of whom are either zombies or evil. Murderers, rapists, bandits, etc."

Liz pursed her lips. "I suppose. But if he's unstable, what's stopping him from snapping?"

"He won't. He's too good of a man to do that." Sakura defended.

"Not only that, he doesn't seem to know what he's doing. I was talking to the children, they mention he uses vulgar language around them, he let's them play violent video games… which I don't understand how he's able to do that… and he tells them things kids shouldn't hear. About how the world is now, explaining all the horrible things they ask about." She elaborated. "I don't believe kids should be exposed to…" She stopped as she turned to see Tristan standing next to them. "Tris… I didn't…"

Tristan held up a hand. "You don't need to defend yourself. I completely understand where you're coming from, and you have every right to your views." He said smiling. "But… will you allow me to explain myself?"

She hesitated, then nodded, relaxing her shoulders. She was grateful to the man's invitations and offers to his group, but he still unsettled her.

Tristan looked at the kids. "Hey, why don't you two go help Mrs. Ayaka with setting up the tent?"

The kids took off, and Tristan sat down next to Liz, who gave him a questioning look. Sakura left so they could speak alone. He was silent for a moment. "I told you back at the town that I'd tell you how I found them. Now, I will. First off, I should know that Alice has had it hard, even before the apocalypse. Her dad was abusive, he hit her and her mother." Liz covered her mouth, Tristan was scowling. "She has a scar on her shoulder from where he stabbed her with a broken beer bottle."

Liz tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

He had put a hand against his forehead. "Yeah, I just loathe people like him. Bastard should count himself lucky the zombies got him before I did." He took a deep breath. "Anyway, their bunker got overrun a few weeks ago, I found them with this old guy named Sam. During their time in the bunker, Sam apparently played with them a lot. Turns out, once he realized he was alone with the kids, he took his chance to… to try and molest them."

Liz gasped. "Are you serious?" She asked, horrified.

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. Thankfully, I found the entrance, and went inside to look for supplies. I heard their screams, and went to investigate. I heard what he was doing. So I went inside, and killed him." He looked at her. "Thing is, these kids have been exposed to so much darkness and death. Their innocence has already been ripped away from them, so I think playing Halo and other games like that shouldn't be a big deal. I'm teaching them how to fight, how to defend themselves. I swear around them, I don't try to hide the evil in this world from them. Because I believe that in this new world, they deserve to know as much of the truth as they can."

Liz smiled. "I suppose I can agree with that. I'm sorry for… well… doubting you."

He returned the smile. "No need to apologize. Honestly, I'm aiming for people to be afraid of me when they first meet me. Intimidation helps a lot in combat."

She laughed at that. "It would."

While they chatted, Ryan was carefully removing Tristan's windshield to replace it. "Alright, Jaina, push on your end, we need to pop it out now."

Jaina nodded at him through the glass, and pushed. A little too hard. The window popped free, and Ryan fell, getting the wind knocked out of him as he landed on his back.

Jaina rushed out as he gasped to regain his air. "Holy shit, I'm sorry! Are you okay?"

"Peachy." He wheezed, struggling to his feet. Jaina linked their arms and helped him up.

Sakura and Amber went over to Tristan, who was on the ground, brushing Diego's coat. "Hey, Tristan." Amber chirped.

"'Sup." He responded. He tensed his arm, taking care of a particularly thick knot in the Doberman's fur. "Alright, buddy, all brushed."

Diego whimpered happily, placing a large, sloppy lick across Tristan's face, who laughed.

Amber cringed. "Gross." She muttered.

"To some people, maybe." Tristan responded, scratching behind his friend's ear. "Not to me." He glanced sideways at her, and grinned. "Diego, I think Amber wants a kissy too."

She paled. "No, nonononono… Ewww!" She cried out as Diego lunged and licked her face. "Ugh, it's slimy!" she said, wiping her face as Tristan and Sakura burst into laughter.

Sakura sat down on the other side of Tristan. "So, we've had an eventful few days. What's the plan for tomorrow?"

Tristan shrugged. "No clue. Just planning on driving, seeing where the road takes us."

Sakura nodded. "Good a plan as any."

Amber finished wiping away the dog slobber. " _That_ was gross." She said, scowling, drawing more laughter from Tristan and Sakura. She could have sworn she heard Diego sniggering too. Sakura started laughing harder at the face her sister had on her. "Oh… God… Amber… your face…" She held her sides as her sister glared at her. Then Amber smiled. A little revenge was in order. "Hey, Tristan, you're bi, right?"

Tristan nodded. "Yep. How come?"

Amber put her chin in her hands. "I'm curious, what's your dream guy like?"

Tristan thought for a moment as Sakura glared at her. "Well, for starters, his name would be… Alec, keep in mind, this has absolutely nothing to do with you." Alec turned his head to look at them, curiosity now peaked. "But I've always thought that the name Alec, or Alex, has been sexy as Hell." James laughed at Alec's reddening face. "Don't worry, Alec, he'd be taller than you. Maybe an inch taller than me. Muscular, piercing blue eyes." Alec was staring at him. "Alec, your eyes are like dark blue. I'm talking icy, bright blue eyes that make you feel like your soul is being stared into. Maybe, olive skin. You, Alec, are pale as fuck." Now Connor was laughing, Alec punched his shoulder."

"What about his dick?" Amber ventured, drawing a cry from her mother.

"Huge. I want to be filled." Tristan answered without missing a beat, drawing more laughs from James and Connor, even Alec. "And, a goatee."

Ryan piped up as he joined the small circle. "Kratos goatee or Tony Stark goatee?"

"Tony Stark all the way. He's sexy as Hell." Tristan responded. "And, his hair would be jet black, kind of messy and to his shoulders. Oh, and he's speak Spanish."

"Why Spanish?" James asked.

"Cause hot guys speaking Spanish is hot to me. Not sure why." Tristan answered.

Amber nodded. "Huh. What about you, Alec?"

Alec thought. "Uhhh… I guess, tall, tanned skin, blonde, wavy hair, eyes like Tristan's guy, muscular. Kind of like your stereotypical surfer dude." Alec was staring off into space."

Amber returned to Tristan. "What about your dream girl?" Sakura let out a small gasp, unnoticed by all but her sister.

"Well, also tall and muscular, or at least lean, fit. I love a girl who can kick my ass." He said. "Dark skin, not ebony but just dark, like a tan or something." He thought again. "And… piercing green eyes."

"You know what I've always liked?" James said. "Colored hair."

"Yes!" Tristan said, snapping his fingers. "Oh, God, I loved that trend that started going around where people dyed their hair. Especially on the girls." He said, reminiscing.

Amber grinned. "You have some favorite colors?" She asked.

"Blue, red, and pink." He answered. He was completely oblivious to Sakura's blush. "And, she'd have thinner lips. I hated how girls started wanting big thick lips. Personally I thought it looked weird."

"Rachel wanted to get a pair of those." Ryan said. "I wouldn't give her the money for whatever operation it was. I always hated the idea of changing your body."

"I completely agree." Tristan said. "Honestly, when it comes down to it, I'd rather date someone who has an unchanged body. Implants and all that are just, weird." Ella had come over. "You have a dream guy, Ella?" Tristan asked.

Ella was off put by the question, having just waked over. "What?"

"We got to talking about our dream guys slash girls, depending on your preference." He elaborated.

Ella thought about it. "Hmm." After a minute, she answered. "Tall…"

"Why does everyone want tall?" Amber wondered aloud.

Ella glared at her. "As I was saying, tall, pale skin, black hair, green, no, hazel eyes, maybe both. I can't decide. Umm… muscular for sure. And I've always thought some scars were sexy. Maybe one across his eye or something."

Tristan grinned, James too, as they recognized a certain group member that matched her description as he walked over. She didn't even realize it.

John stood behind Ella, startling her when he spoke. "It's getting late, we should decide shifts now, then get some sleep. I'd like to make some headway on the road tomorrow."

Tristan stood up. "Diego and I can take first shift. Grant, can you take second?"

Grant nodded. "Yeah, I can. Who will I be succeeded by?"

Ella raised her hand. "I can take third."

John nodded, slinging his gun. "Tristan, Grant, Ella. Alright, I'm heading to bed then. Goodnight, everyone."

"Night." Everyone responded in unison. As Grant stood up, Tristan stopped him, looking at his face. Then he snapped his fingers. "Finally! Ever since we met you, I've thought you looked familiar. You look like the default John Shepard. From Mass Effect."

Grant stared in confusion at him. "What?"

James had come over. "Hey, yeah! You do! Commander Shepard is a video game character, you look just like him. Buzz cut, close shave and all. It's uncanny."

Grant looked at them. "Is that a good thing?"

Tristan was grinning. "Hell yeah! John Shepard is a badass. Although, I always played as Femshep." Grant stared at him. "In Mass Effect you can choose Shepard to be male or female. The voice actress for Femshep was better, plus I really wanted to romance Garrus." Tristan explained.

Grant slowly moved Tristan's hand from his shoulder. "Well, that's cool, but I need to get some sleep." he hastened for his sleeping bag.

Ryan was standing with Tristan and James. "Huh. He even kind of sounds like him."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, but Mark Meer looks nothing like that."

Ryan looked at him. "Who?"

"Voice actor for Shepard." James answered.

Sakura stood up and stretched. "Well, you boys have fun geeking out. I'm going to bed."

Tristan turned and smiled. "Night Sakura."

She returned the smile as she headed for the RV. "Night."

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Dom went into the woods with John and Sakura the next morning to get breakfast, while James took Rachel and went foraging.

Tristan helped Ryan make sure the new glass was tightly sealed. As they worked, Ryan heard Tristan singing under his breath, or rather rapping. "Is that… Epic Rap Battles of History?"

Tristan grinned. "It is. You watched them too?"

"You kidding? I've memorized every rap!"

"Same here." Tristan responded. His grinned. His voice went deeper than usual. "Epic Rap Battles of History. Deadpool! Versus! Booooba Feeett! Begin!"

Ryan dropped his tool "Oh, is it me? Well here's my first issue! I barely even know enough about you to diss you! But do you guy honestly think that I would screw this feud up? And lose to the dude a huge toothie cootchie chewed up?!"

He jumped out from the RV. "That's bananas. I do damage when I brandish my ka-tanas. Man I'll slice you up then vanish in my ladybug pajamas." Ryan switched to an Elvis impression. "I'm one of a kind you're a xerox of your papa. Doing temp work for Vader and odd jobs for Jabba." He switched back to his normal voice. "I'm tight, you're mad baggy. I'm toned, you're so flappy. Mad cause Sam Jackson killed your clone daddy! Somebody oughta put a bounty out on that cape! Maybe, I'll write a letter. And mail it, in your face!"

Tristan's voice was graveled. "Good thing I keep tums in the Slave I. Cause your style makes me space sick. And your bars are like your old pal Cable, fucking basic. I'll smack a merc in the mouth, if he doesn't quit running that lip off. Bitch who you calling clone, you're a Deathstroke rip-off. You stole Spiderman's eyes, and, Snake Eyes's weapons. You got Wolverine's powers man you're comic sloppy seconds. That Dr. Kilbrew dude needs to back to med school. 'Cause right now, you're no good to me, Deadpool."

Ryan took over. "Ooh, what's that? A missile backpack? Well, I guess you'll be alright if a fucking bird attacks! Presenting the most overrated character, anyone ever saw! With _five_ lines in the trilogy, and one of them was 'Aaaaahhhh!'"

"I only need five lines, 'cause I look fucking great. You look like someone spilled lasagna on your face. But you're worth a lot to me, if I bring you back dead. Schizophrenics pay triple. One for each head." Tristan growled.

"Who you calling schizophrenic?! You've got two different voices! You're like your holiday special, man, full of bad choices." Ryan retorted.

"You think your chimichanga's hot, but you couldn't be milder. You should have made the choice to ditch that prick from Van Wilder!"

"And the coolest things about you, got straight up abandoned. You let a kiwi hold your gun and he fucked up your canon. So, maybe don't talk about movies, 'cause you've got dick to say. Wrap that arm dart, around Jar Jar, and go far far away!"

"I'm a legend, you're a trend, you ain't got half the skill I got. I'll beat your ass with one eye closed, Boba Fetty Wap. And then I'll call Domino's. Ooh. She likes what I'm shaking. She prefers my durasteel to your Canadian bacon. So take a lesson from a genuine assassin, who's blasting foes. I come equipped with full set of sick Mandalorian flows. Everybody knows, you got that power of regeneration. Now go home, and heal from this disintegration." They glared at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Ahem." they turned to see John, Dom, and Sakura staring at them. "What the hell was that?"

"Epic rap Battles of History." Ryan answered, still grinning.

John shook his head, rolling his eyes. "We have breakfast." he said, tossing the sack at Tristan's feet.

Tristan nodded, taking the sack and heading for their campfire. Everyone else was waking up, and one by one, headed outside. It was beautiful out today, and for once they actually heard animals.

Of course, it was too good to last. A shot rang out, and a bullet whizzed by Tristan's head, kicking up dirt as it slammed into the ground. Tristan acted fast, immediately moving to take the kids to safety. The group got into battle stances, then Ella gasped. Nearly a hundred men stalked into their clearing, all sporting shotguns and assault rifles. Still more stayed in the trees, snipers.

John knew they were outgunned. "Get to the vehicles! We have to leave, now!"

Tristan ignored him, firing his DMR, each shot bringing down another enemy. "Fuck that, we're fighting!"

John scowled, grabbing his jacket and dragging him behind the RV. "Don't be stupid, we can't win. Start up the RV, now!"

Tristan scowled, smacking his hand away. But he knew John was right. They were outnumbered, and some of them had already reached the camp.

Then they heard Natalie scream, then Rachel, then a roar of anger from Jaina. Tristan and John looked out from behind the RV. Ella let out a cream too, the girls were being bound and gagged. Jaina had five of them clinging to her, tying her up. Tristan roared, stepping out and firing his gun.

Corporal protected Ella, biting the neck of her assailant. Jaina managed to throw off one of her attackers, but then was knocked out.

Ryan and Alec's voices rang out, calling out for their sisters. Natalie and Rachel were being dragged away, and one of the men was moving for Sakura. Tristan ran to protect her, but she tackled the man, jamming her knife into his head, then firing her crossbow at another assailant.

They were overwhelmed. Corporal was kicked away, and two men tackled Ella, and dragged her away. John ran to save her, but four men moved to block his path. Ten seconds later, all four lay dead. But Ella was gone, and so were Rachel and Natalie, and Jaina.

Tristan, John, James, and Sakura all fought together, trying to locate their captured friends. Tristan decapitated a man who raised his gun to shoot Sakura, Sakura shot a man who lunged for James, James stabbed a man who raised a knife to stab John, and John snapped the neck of the man who tried to hack at Tristan with an ax.

But it wasn't enough. Some of the more sensible of the group had started up all the vehicles, and called out among the gunfire to retreat. Tristan and John ignored their calls, as did Alec and Ryan, who joined them in combat.

Sakura grabbed Tristan, and dragged him to the RV, managing to throw him in and closing the door behind her as bullets hammered the vehicle. James and Dom worked together to drag John to the APC, and then Alec and Ryan. After everyone was secure, the drivers took off, despite the cries of protest from Tristan, John, Alec, and Ryan.

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Jaina woke up laying on a cold, stony ground. She lifted her head, and heard Ella move over to her, Rachel and Natalie following. "What… the fuck… happened?" She murmured.

Ella shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, we were captured, blindfolded, and thrown in here."

"Jaina, I have a really bad feeling about this place." Natalie cried. "There has to be at least fifty other girls down here, and they're all crying, and won't talk to us."

Jaina sat up, rubbing the back of her head. Natalie was right, the dark room they were in was filled with soft sobbing, the occasional high cry. What she could see in the dark, the girls were all at east 15-40, and were in stained and torn clothes. Some of them were completely naked. Jaina tried to stand up, then found that her arm was chained to the wall. She panicked. This was a bad situation, and she shared Ella's apprehension. There was something sinister going on.

Then they heard a creak, and a beam of light flowed into the room, and a large silhouetted man walked into the room. All of a sudden, all the girls started begging, screaming to not be "chosen."

The man, laughed an evil laugh, and unchained a girl who started screaming in protest, grabbing her arm and leading her to the door, where men's laughter rang out.

Jaina realized with horror what was happening. "NO! NO, DON'T! DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE! NO!" She screamed, as the door closed, the lock clicking.

 **Review! The story is going to be getting darker, guys, so prepare yourselves. On a lighter note, don't forget, the forum is up. So go ahead and look it up.**


	18. Pits, Slaves, and Horror

(Stan Lee voice) Hello true believers! Time for the next thrilling chapter in our heroes' journey! Will the girls escape this wretched prison? Will the others find them in time? Find out now! Excelsior!

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After they had driven away, the group decided to stop after a few miles to regroup and make a plan.

Tristan, John, Ryan, and Alec were all pissed. "Why the fuck did we retreat?!" Ryan shouted. "Now the girls could be anywhere! They could be being tortured, or, or raped, or they could be dead!"

Sakura tried to calm him down. "Guys, if we had stayed, we would have died. We were outnumbered, outgunned, we were being overwhelmed. We had to leave."

"Sakura's right." James said. "There were easily a hundred of them at least."

Alec walked up to Sakura, angry. "What if it had been Amber? Or your mother?" He said. "Would you still leave?" Sakura opened her mouth, but said nothing. Her eyes fell to her feet. "My _sister_ has been taken, and being put through God knows what. Same with Rachel, and Ella, and Jaina." he growled. "You guys had no right to force me to leave."

Grant turned to Tristan. "You see that it was suicidal to stay, right?"

Tristan sighed. "Maybe it was. But I would never leave my friends behind, even if it would cost me my life. Alec and Ryan are right, they could be dead right now, or worse."

Ryan choked a little at his words. "W-we need to find them! We need to save them!"

"I completely agree. And that's why we're going back." John said.

Connor turned to John. "John, it's too dangerous to just go back. Not so soon. You're usually a voice of reason."

John stared at him. "We can't abandon our friends."

Tristan was already getting into the RV. "Let's move it, we need to get back while the trail's still hot."

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Jaina struggled against her restraints. Ella had given up a while ago, accepting that she wasn't going to be able to break the iron. Rachel and Natalie were lying against each other, silently sobbing. They had all figured out what was going on, and they were terrified.

But Jaina wasn't going to give in. She had escaped worse restraints before in the military. It was just a matter of time.

Just then, the door creaked open. Jaina and the others turned their gazes to the large man that stood silhouetted against the light. Then he started walking. Straight for the four of them.

He reached them, stood still, and grinned. His smile was rotten, yellowed teeth where he had them. His face was covered with small hairs, he hadn't shaved yet. His eyes were an ugly mud brown. "So, you girlies are the new girls? Well, aren't you a pretty set?" he sneered, cackling.

"Joe, I told you to get some more beer. Not harass our new prisoners." A booming voice rang out. Joe's face twisted in fear. "Of course, Marlo, sir. Right away sir."

Joe turned and scurried for the door, an even bigger man passing him. While Joe had been disgusting, this man, Marlo, looked terrifying. He was almost seven feet tall, broad shoulders, powerfully built. His long dark hair tangled with his beer, a long scar crossing over his green eye. His red and black plaid lumberjack shirt was covered by a black leather vest. His black pants were covered by knee and shin guards, and black hiking boots.

He looked at the terrified women. "Well, my boys certainly made a good haul." He said, grinning. He kneeled down, and his hand shot out to grope Natalie's chest, drawing a sharp cry of anger from her. "And _you_ have an amazing rack, might I say."

Jaina leapt forward as far as she could. "Keep your slimy hands off of her, you fucking prick!"

He slowly turned his head to look at Jaina. His hand fell from natalie, and then whipped across Jaina's face. She ignored the slap, staring at their captor with murder in her eyes.

Marlo's eyes trailed across his body. Then he grinned. "You got some fight in you. I like that. Maybe… you'd be better entertainment in the pits."

Jaina kept her glare, but her heart raced. She didn't know what the pits were, but she didn't want to find out.

He reached out with a key, grabbing her neck and yanking her to the side. He was freakishly strong, she was helpless as he unlocked the chain around her hand and placed a pair of cuffs around her hands.

He yanked her towards the door, and her friends began crying out, calling her name, and shouting obscenities at the large man dragging her. As she was pulled out of the dark prison, she squinted her eyes against the harsh light. She felt herself dragged through the halls, and heard men catcalling her as they passed by.

Eventually, her eyes adjusted to the light. A few seconds later she was thrown into a cell, and she heard Marlo shut the cell door, and walk away. She raised her head, to come face to face with a large, muscular, and heavily scarred man. "Fresh meat, huh? Welcome to the pits."

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Tristan, John, Sakura, Ryan, and Alec had elected to scout ahead of the other vehicles. Tristan took Diego along, and while the rest of the group tried to navigate the roads the six of them tracked their friend's kidnappers through the woods.

Diego had his nose to the ground as he ran, the humans running behind him. Tristan and John had point, the others running behind them All of a sudden, Diego stopped, and raised his head, staring straight ahead at the foliage in front of them. He growled, and Tristan drew his DMR, stalking towards the bush, the others watching his silent progress. Tristan reached his hand out, and moved some leaves and branches aside, gazing through the hole. He motioned for the others to move towards him. As they complied, Ryan stumbled, snapping a series of twigs and causing Tristan to glare at him.

John knelt beside Tristan, and looked out at the compound. Whoever these guys were, they had found an excellent base. An old military compound, high chain link fences with barbed wire along the top and bottom, pikes aimed outwards to impale any curious zombies. Within the fences, were tents. Hundreds of them. And men were everywhere. Tristan noted that there didn't seem to be any women around, just men. He also noted that they all seemed alike, redneck looking guys and bikers, lumberjacks, all big and tough.

Tristan turned to look at the others. "John, Ryan, follow me. We're going to get in a bit closer. The rest of you, hang back. If things head south, punch it back to the others." He looked at Diego. "You hang back too. Make sure they get back safe if shit hits the fan." Diego whined in response. "I'll be fine, don't worry." He said, smiling and scratching his head. Then he turned and crawled through the bush, selecting the path with the most cover, John and Ryan following his steps.

They made it undetected down to the fence. Now they could hear some of the men talking, but they couldn't see, they had to keep their heads down.

"You see the girls Marlo just brought in?" Came a rough voice.

"Yeah, some real lookers them. J'you see the short girl? One with the black pixie cut?" Came another voice. Ryan tensed at the man's description. He was talking about Rachel.

"Hell yeah, can't wait to get a piece of that ass." The first voice laughed. Tristan's hand shot out to clamp Ryan's shoulder, as he started to rise in anger. Tristan stared at him, drawing his thumb across his throat. _They find us, we die._

Ryan simply glared at him, but lay back down. John crawled forward, peeking through the bush to see their surroundings. They were a lot closer than they had thought, the fence was directly in front of him. A barb from the wire scratched his forehead, and he drew his head back.

The men were speaking again. "I hear Marlo moved one of them to the pits. The big one."

"Damn, she was bangin'. Shame, hope she makes up for it." The other voice said. Ryan was fuming, but remained silent.

Tristan motioned for them to head back. But as they turned, Ryan's cargo pants got caught on a thorn, and rustled the bush. Immediately, a gunshot basted their ears and the tree next to them exploded. Tristan grabbed Ryan's jacket and hoisted him to his feet, and the three of them took off, bullets flying around them. John cried out as his shoulder got hit, and stumbled. Ryan slowed to help him, then he cried out as his leg was hit. Tristan drew his pistol and started firing through the trees. About a hundred yards away, Sakura and Alec were offering suppressive fire.

Ryan and John helped each other, Tristan covering them. He winced as a shot grazed the side of his head, the burn of the hot bullet leaving a mark. Tristan turned to where Sakura and Alec were waiting with Diego. "Go, go! Get back to the others!" He shouted over the gunfire.

Sakura hesitated, but Alec grabbed the collar of her crop top, tugging her in the direction of escape. Diego, though hesitant to leave his master, obeyed, running along with them.

Ryan struggled to climb the slope, John lifting him when necessary. Then the men started appearing. They were surrounded in seconds, and one of the men, wild eyed, tackled John and Ryan down the slope. They tumbled, Jon managing to snap their attacker's neck on the way down. When they reached the bottom, they looked up to see Tristan getting tackled in hit. He fought like a wild animal, swinging his katana, roaring in fury, spilling blood across the ground and trees. But he was overwhelmed, and was tackled, his assailant jamming his knife into his side. Tristan yelled, ramming his elbow into the man's face, throwing him off, trying to stand and clutch his side. John stood to assist, when he was grabbed by two men at once. He threw one off to the side, punching the other one in the face, feeling the man's jaw turn to bony powder.

But he failed to notice the man sneaking up behind him to ram a shotgun butt into his head. He fell to the ground, vision fading.

Ryan tried in vain to fight off the four men who grabbed his limbs, and lifted him into the air, carrying him into their compound. He barely glimpsed Tristan finally be knocked out by a rock one had desperately thrown before he was killed.

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Ella tried to calm down Rachel and Natalie. "Guys, guys, calm down. We need to keep our heads clear, alright? We'll never escape if…"

" _Jaina is probably being raped and you're telling us to calm down?!_ " Natalie screeched. Ella winced at her pitch. "These sickos are keeping these women as sex slaves, and we're just sitting here, waiting our turn!" She cried, tears streaming down her face.

Ella sighed, and let go of her friend's arm. She was beyond consoling at the moment, so she decided to plot their escape alone. Jaina had kept trying to break the chains, but Ella knew that was pointless. As much as it terrified her, Ella realized that she would indeed have to wait her turn, then fight like hell to kill whoever had been sent to get her. So far, she had witnessed three women taken and returned. Each time, there had only been one man sent to get them. Their weapons had been taken, but she felt confident that she could steal the knife off of one of the guys should they take her. Despite her appearance, Ella was not to be trifled with. She was willing and able to kill ferociously to save herself and her friends.

The door opened, and a man came in. Time for a new victim. "Hey, Drake, get one of the new girls." A voice called after the man, Drake, and he grinned. He shut the door, and looked over at Ella and the others. "So, who wants to be our bitch tonight?"

Ella moved in front of her friends. "Take me." She said, determination in her voice. Rachel and Natalie immediately protested, yelling at the pervert that he would suffer if he touched any of them.

The man ignored their threats, staring at Ella. "Well, you got some fire in your eyes. Wonder what it'll take to extinguish that fire?" he said, his toothy grin spreading across his face. "Alright, honey. Since you're so eager, you can entertain us for tonight." Ella's heart raced, and she prepared to attack. The man drew his key, and moved towards her.

Then Natalie did something stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! As the man leaned down to unlock Ella, Natalie spat in the man's face. He screeched, wiping the spit off his cheek, and glaring at Natalie. "Fuckin' bitch, you'll pay for that!"

Ella cried out as he shoved her aside, and grabbed the screaming Natalie. "Nononononononono, no!" Natalie cried as she was cuffed. "No no no, please! Please, I'm begging you! Don't…" She was cut off as the man slapped her.

Rachel was furiously tugging at her chains. "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare! Don't fucking touch her you fucking asshole!" She screamed, crying.

Ella joined in her screams as Natalie was dragged screaming away. "LEAVE HER ALONE! PLEASE, TAKE ME! TAKE ME INSTEAD! LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE YOU PRICKS!"

Natalie struggled against the man's grip as she was shoved through the door. "ALEC!" She started screaming. "ALEC, DON'T LET THEM HURT ME! ALEC! ALE-HE-EC!" She cried.

Ella and Rachel screamed their throats raw as the door shut, and the clang of the lock rang out across the dungeon.

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Jaina hadn't said a word since she was locked in the cell. Her cellmate was silent as well, choosing instead to stare at the ceiling, humming to himself.

Eventually, she gathered her voice to speak. "Where am I?" She asked, her voice hoarse and raw.

Her cellmate glanced at her. "You're in Marlo's compound. He and his men keep themselves busy with two things, sex and bets. And what they bet on is us. We're their gladiators, and we fight zombies in the Z-Pits for their entertainment. It sucks ass, but I pity the women who got stuck as their personal whores. Count yourself lucky you were thrown in here instead of there."

Jaina didn't respond, processing his words. She heard a rattle of keys, and looked up to see none other than Marlo unlocking the cell, flanked by four guards. "Terrence, against the wall." He barked. Jaina's cellmate, Terrence, got up off the bed, and went to the wall, facing away from the giant.

Marlo swung the door open, and grasped Jaina's neck, heaving her to her feet. "Make one wrong move, and yer dead." he growled. Jaina didn't have much choice, and allowed herself to be led to her first pit battle. Marlo spoke as they walked. "Here's how this works, typically you fight alone against a runner or spitter, or if you're unlucky enough, a boomer. No weapons, no armor. But today, you're taking part in what we call a double team. You'll have a partner, and then the two of you fight four zombies. Understan…"

"Marlo, the other prisoner isn't cooperating. He killed Jeremy, fucker actually bit his fingers off and snapped his neck. This guy's insane." A voice crackled over Marlo's radio.

Marlo chuckled. "Interesting, you're getting a psycho for a partner. This'll be fun." He unhooked his radio. "I'll be right there." He turned to the guards. "Get her to the ring."

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Jaina was shoved into a ring, a guard removing her cuffs right before shoving her and locking the door. Jaina heard shouting, and looked around. She was in a ring, sand across the floor. The walls were seven feet high, and a fence in the shape of a dome covering the rind. And through the fence, she saw a hundred men, all shouting and whistling and placing bets.

She heard a door open across the ring, and saw Marlo struggling to shove a writhing man with a burlap sack over his head. Jaina grinned as she recognized the black jacket, then paled as she realized that meant that he had been captured. Marlo tore away the sack, to reveal a pissed off tristan, blood around his mouth from when he had bitten the guard's fingers. He stopped as he saw Jaina,and Marlo took the opportunity to shove him inside and lock the door.

Jaina moved to him as he stood up. Before she could say anything, he grasped her shoulders. "Are you okay? Where are the others? Where are we? Who the fuck is Marlo? What's going on? Are…"

She held up a hand. "One at a time. I'm fine, we're in a Z-Pit, we have to fight zombies without weapons. Marlo is the leader here, and the others…" She gulped, where the girls were was… was just… "They're… Being held as sex slaves."

Tristan's eyes lit up with rage at her last sentence. "Wh… Those… Fucking… I'm going to…!"

He stopped as the third door started to rise, and moaning came from the other side.

Review! So this was… fucked up. So many cliffhangers! Anyway, here's the new chapter!


	19. An Unexpected Betrayal

Hello, readers. So, here's the next installment.

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Jaina and Tristan let each other go as they faced the rising door. Marlo had said that they were going to face four, and four there were. Two walkers stumbled out, followed by a spitter, then a runner dashed out.

Tristan and Jaina flew into action. The runner reached them, and Jaina knelt and swept its legs so that it fell, and Tristan took the opportunity to curb stomp its head.

The spitter reached them, and hurked an acidic loogie at them. They dove away, and circled the zombie.

"Take care of the walkers, I've got this one." Jaina growled.

Tristan nodded, then grabbed a walker and threw it at the wall, kicking its comrade away. Jaina dodged a swipe from the spitter, lurching away as it spat at her. A drop of acid hit the fence above them, and it ate away the metal, giving Jaina an idea. She maneuvered around the spitter, spotting Tristan roaring and tearing… holy shit. He tore the walker's head off, earning earsplitting cheers from the crowd, which turned to brief screams as he scowled and threw the severed head at the fence.

She turned her attention back to the spitter, and kicked out at its head. It stumbled, and she moved behind it, putting it into a lock as it squirmed to bite her. She grabbed the back of its head, and drew it back, causing it to spew a spray of acid at the fence. Some of the men cried out in rage as a hole burned into the fence, and she threw the spitter to the ground, stomping on its head, killing it. She turned to see Tristan repeatedly slamming the other walker's head into the wall, a bloody stain where he slammed it. He saw the dead spitter, and walked over. He picked up the corpse, acid still dripping from its mouth, and threw it through the hole Jaina had made.

Marlo was in the audience. He held up a hand, and suddenly, the men fell silent. "Well, you two have spunk. And some serious, serious balls." He laughed.

Tristan scowled. "I'll give you fair warning, Marlo, you've got yourself a pair of Navy SEALS on your hands. And it is a _very_ bad idea to fuck with us." he growled.

Marlo laughed at this. "Really? Well, I suppose I'll just have to challenge you." He boomed. Tristan moved for the hole, and a hundred guns were drawn. "I'll give you fair warning as well, other people have tried to escape before. They ended up in a wood chipper. Other people have sassed me before, they were dismembered."

Tristan grinned. "You think you're tough shit? I've gutted men and ripped out their entrails, I've ripped off heads. And considering what you're not only doing to us, but to those innocent women locked up? I can assure you, your death will be very, very painful."

Jaina smirked at this. He had told her what he had done to Harper. "Tristan here is like our wild card, Marlo. Even we don't know what he'll do next."

Marlo wasn't impressed. "Uh huh. Well, nevertheless, you're still prisoners." He grinned. "And, I have gas." he drew a can, and pulled a pin, and threw it into the pit. Jaina and Tristan started coughing, feeling groggy. Knockout gas. They collapsed, Marlo's laugh staying in their heads.

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The door creaked open two hours after she had been taken, and a crying Natalie was shoved back into her chain, and the man left them in the dark once more.

Ella and Rachel moved to comfort Natalie. "Nat?" Rachel ventured. "Are…?"

Natalie didn't answer, falling on her side, crying. Her clothes were torn, and when Rachel reached out to touch her she snapped it back when she felt the sliminess on her clothes.

Rachel and Ella were fuming. These bastards would pay for this. But for now, they found dry spots and comforted their friend.

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Tristan paced his cell, looking for an escape route. His cellmate, a tall, lanky man watched him. "It's no use. I've been here for three months, I've checked everywhere. All you can do is survive."

Tristan glared at him. "Fuck that. My friends are being imprisoned and raped. I'm going to fucking disembowel every fucker in here."

The man cringed at that. "Look, there's nothing you can do. This place has top notch security."

Tristan continued to pace, when a guard came around the corner with that day's rations. He did a double take under Tristan's murderous gaze. He had heard what had happened to Jeremy. "M-move to the end of the cell. Now."

His cellmate complied, but Tristan held his glare. "Why don't you come in here and _make me_ , fuckface."

The guard trembled. "If you don't comply, you don't get food." he said shakily.

"Dude, don't cost me my food!" The man said angrily. Tristan ignored him, keeping his gaze steady with he guard.

He finally had enough, and turned away. "Fine, no… HELP! HELP, HE'S GOT MEAURCK!" Tristan reached through the bars, grabbing his neck and grabbing his knife and stabbing his neck, taking the rations and throwing the guard away from the cell.

He tossed his horrified cellmate his portion and wolfed down his own as the angry guards ran to the cell, finding their friend's corpse and a smirking Tristan. "He forgot my mustard."

One of the men scowled, moving for the cell. Tristan ran up against the bars, insanity in his eyes. "Come on! Come in here and try to _discipline_ me! I'll fucking kill you too!" The guard reeled back, drawing a laugh from Tristan. "That's right, fuckers. I'm getting out of here, and I can personally promise that I will leave _zero_ survivors!"

The guard scowled, picking up the dead guard's corpse and dragging it away. Tristan turned to his awed cellmate. "You… got away with killing one of them? Holy shit."

"Seventeen, actually. Him, a guy who I bit the fingers off of, and fifteen that I killed as they tried to capture me. Not to mention the twenty two I killed in their first attempt." Tristan corrected, grinning. "Like I said before, I'm getting out of here, and killing all of them."

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John stared at the bars of his cell, Ryan trying to find a way out. "Ryan, you're wasting your time. This is a military building, their cells can't be breached so easily."

Ryan glared at him. "You heard the guards, the girls are being kept as sex slaves. I'm getting out of here, finding our friends, and if _any_ of them have been touched, I'm killing everyone in here."

John said nothing for a while. "The others will come for us." he said. Ryan ignored him. "I'm sure of it."

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Sakura paced their camp. On their return, she and Alec had told the others everything they had seen and heard. Now, she was trying to formulate a plan. The only big fighters left in their group were James, Grant, Diego, and herself. Alec wasn't a great shot, the kids weren't fit for battle, nor was Aaron, Liz, or her mother. Connor had been injured in the first shootout, and Amber was an okay shot, but she still wasn't a big fighter. She didn't have a lot to go on for Dom's combat skills, Corporal had a sore rib, and was limping. So, that left herself, James, Grant, and Diego. And she had seen the compound, it was huge, and there had to be over a thousand men inside. And they were still scraping by supply wise, so they didn't have a whole lot of ammo.

Dome waked over. "Hey Wade." She said.

"I prefer Dom." He said. "So, thought of a plan yet?" Sakura shook her head. "So, tell me, how well off was this compound?"

"Very. It was huge, easily over a thousand men, strong fences, and large depots." She answered. "Bastards seem impenetrable."

Wade nodded, thinking. "Uh huh. So, the place is pretty secure?"

She looked at him. "Yeah, why?"

He shrugged. "Just trying to think of how we're going to get in, that's all."

Grant walked up. "I just scoped it out. And I think I have a plan."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God, lay it on me."

"I walked around the entire compound, and I saw that there's a damaged area in the fence that they're trying to fix. Metal has corroded away, spitter acid. Even the barbed wire around it has been eaten away. If we leave now, we can get inside. Taking out the guards around it should be simple, my gun has a silencer." he explained.

Sakura grasped his shoulders. "Grant, you're a lifesaver." She pursed her lips. "The compound is fairly large, and we won't have long before they figure out we're in there. We should split into groups to search the building quickly."

"Agreed. I'm thinking we send in three groups, and have the rest of us stay with the vehicles for a quick getaway." grant said.

Dom spoke up. "So, teams of two? Me and Alec, Sakura and Diego, and you and James?"

Grant nodded. "Alright, then let's move out."

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Grant led them to the area he had told them about, and shot the guards. They ran through the hole, and headed in their respective directions. Dom followed behind Alec as he snuck through the compound. They hid when guards appeared, and peeked inside rooms. Eventually, they made their way to a prison looking area. They stayed in the shadows, and Alec scanned the cells, looking for their friends. None of them were there, just other prisoners. Then Alec felt something hit the back of his head, and he blacked out.

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Sakura let Diego lead the way, as he sniffed for their friends. She took down any guards they came across, and they made it to a large room. She scowled at the table in the center. It had restraints, was surrounded by ball gas and rope, a little blood, and was covered in white… yuck.

Diego headed for an iron door, and growled. He smelled their friends. She headed for the door, when a deep voice rang out across the room. "Stop right there, bitch."

Sakura turned, and saw a huge man with dark, mangy hair and a lumberjack outfit step out of the shadows, flanked by two dozen guards. He was grinning. "Well, the boy wasn't lying. Heh. I'm afraid your little plan has failed."

Sakura was dumbfounded. "How did you…?" She gasped as she saw Wade among the guards. He was grinning coldly. "You son of a bitch! You betrayed us!"

"I'm merely looking out for my best interest. This place is a hell of a lot more secure than an old RV and APC." He replied. "I'm not stupid, your group is unsafe, unstable."

Sakura scowled at him as she was restrained. "You'll pay for this, prick."

"Enough." Marlo growled. "The rest of your friends have been captured, and I have men on their way to capture your people waiting with your vehicles."

A voice came on over his radio. "Marlo, we've captured them. But, there's a problem. They have two nine year olds and a dog, what should we do with them?"

Marlo scratched his beard. "Kids are too small for us to…"

"Don't fucking say it." Sakura growled.

Marlo ignored her. "Hmm." he raised the radio. "Take the kids to the pits, kill the dog."

A sharp, "No!" Was heard in the background, then a bark, and a scuffle. A minute later, the voice came back. "Fuckers attacked us, dog got away."

"Doesn't matter, bring them back here." Marlo ordered. He looked at Sakura. "Take her to the pits, and kill the, where the fuck did the dog go?"

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Tristan was throwing a crumpled paper ball at the wall repeatedly. So far, he had failed to find a way out. Then he grinned as he heard a familiar bark. He turned to the bars, to see Diego happily wagging his tail. "Diego! Damn, am I glad to see you. Where are the others?" Diego growled, and Tristan scowled. "That piece of… alright, let's get out of here. We need to save them."

I realize this chapter is short, but I felt that it's a good setup for the next chapter. I'll try to update soon. Until then, Death out.


	20. Escape

Hello! Insert pre chapter author notes here. Enjoy.

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Ryan tried aimlessly to pick the lock at the gate. Alec had tried showing him how to do it, but he hadn't made any progress. Now if it were a computerized lock, that would be a different story…

His thoughts were interrupted by a guard barking an order to John to move to the other side of the cell. He glared at the guard, but complied. The guard grabbed Ryan, not bothering to place him in cuffs. While he appreciated the lack of metal digging into his wrists, he was somewhat offended the guards didn't consider him enough of a threat to cuff him.

He was dragged to the arena. He had already won a battle against a runner, but he had barely escaped with his life. The guard explained the rules of the double team to him, but he only half paid attention. He focused on memorizing the halls for future reference.

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Natalie still hadn't said a word since she had been returned. Rachel kept close to her, offering soothing words. Ella was still pissed, she desperately wanted to gut these bastards.

The door creaked open, and Natalie started screaming and crying, Rachel tried desperately to calm her down.

Ella gasped as Sorano, Amber, and Elizabeth were dragged into the dungeon. "O, my God, guys! What happened?!"

"Wade betrayed us." Amber growled. "We came to rescue you guys, and he joined these bastards."

"Language, Amber." Sorano scolded. "Everyone else was sent to 'The Pits' whatever those are. Where are we?"

Natalie started to cry again. "These assholes are keeping these women as sex slaves. Natalie was…" rachel left the rest of her sentence unsaid. Liz gasped, and Amber and Sorano joined Rachel in trying to comfort Natalie. All Ella could think was that they were screwed.

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The guard headed for the marine's cell. He had come prepared, this psychopath had already killed five guards since he had been captured.

He reached the cell, cocking his shotgun. Then he paled. The other prisoner was sitting on their bench, but the marine was nowhere to be seen. He dropped his gun, and hastened to unlock the door. "Where the fuck did he go?!" He demanded. The other inmate simply shrugged his shoulders. Once he got the door open, he felt something drop on him.

Tristan had dropped from the ceiling, tackling the guard. Before he could react, Tristan stole his knife and jammed it into his face. He grabbed the keys, and whistled, Diego coming around the corner. Tristan turned to his cellmate. "Well, good luck. Go ahead and take his gun, I'm not big on shotguns."

The man picked up the gun. "You should leave while you have the chance. Saving your friends is suicide."

"So are most things I do." Tristan said, cocking the pistol. "Exit's down that way."

His cellmate nodded, and ran. Tristan turned to Diego. "Let's go kick some ass."

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Ryan was shoved into the ring, and he looked up, and gasped. Jaina was on the other side, already watching the third door. He ran over to her. "Jaina, are you okay?"

She smiled as she saw him. "Could be worse. Any chance you've found out how to escape yet?"

Ryan shook his head, when the Z door started to open. He paled as a boomer wandered out, followed by three walkers. "How the fuck are we supposed to kill it?" We can't get near it!"

Jaina was working to control her fear. "We can do it. Keep the boomer distracted, I'm going to take out the normals."

Ryan nodded shakily, then ran near the boomer, drawing it towards him. It twitched as it followed him, it's bulging flesh trembling. Ryan gulped as he led it in a circle around the ring.

Jaina ran at the walkers, punching one to the ground as it reached for her. She threw the next one at the wall, and snapped the neck of the third. This one continued to walk around, but in circles, disoriented.

As Ryan kept the boomer occupied, he watched Jaina in awe.

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The guard threw down the cards. "Full house, bitches." He said, grinning, drawing groans from the other guards.

Then the door opened, and a man walked in. One of the guards cringed. "Jesus, when did you last shower, man?"

The man turned to him. "Oh, not for awhile. Been busy. This is where we keep all the captured gear, right?"

The guards exchanged glasses. "Yeah… How long you been here?"

The man walked over to the tables, picking out certain weapons. He grinned as held up s black katana with a silver dragon design. "Not long, just joined yesterday."

One of the guards stood up. "I don't recognize you, and I didn't hear about any new recruits." He watched as the man started loading up duffel bags with gear. "What the hell are you doing?"

Another guard paled. "Wait, isn't that…"

The man turned, a psychotic grin across his face. "The crazy guy who's now killed seventy three of your men, and is about to make that seventy six? Yep!" He drew a pistol from the table and fired three times, each guard getting a hole punched in their chests. The man looked back at the table, and his jaw dropped. "Ooh… Where did you guys get this?"

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Ryan leapt away as the boomer lunged for him. Jaina finally killed the last normal, and ran to help Ryan. Time seemed to slow down as the boomer turned suddenly to face her. Ryan made a split second decision as the bulges started to expand, and tackled the boomer away from Jaina. He scrambled away as it exploded, hearing Jaina scream his name.

He felt pain on his back, a bone had launched out of the boomer's body and lodged itself in his back. He groaned, and Jaina hurried to yank it out. "You complete dumbass! Why the hell did you do that?!"

Ryan looked at her. "Because you were about to be killed."

Jaina opened her mouth, but closed it as she applied pressure to the wound, the roars of the crowd lost on the two of them.

Ryan scowled as a guard made his way to the fence-dome. "Aww, how sweet. Another thrilling pit fight. Cuff them, take them back to… what the fu…?"

Ryan recognized the Three Days Grace song as it grew louder. Then a door up in the bleachers was kicked open. "Hello, assholes! I'm oooout!"

Ryan and Haina heard screams over gunfire, and lifted their heads to see Tristan carrying a Minigun, "Pain." Blasting out of his iPod, him singing along. "Pain, pain, without love! Pain, pain, can't get enough! Pain, pain, I like it rough! 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all!" Rock music blasted as he finished mowing down the men, grinning at Ryan and Jaina and raiding the Minigun up for them to see after he was done. "Look at what I found!" He shouted, like a kid who just got a new toy for Christmas.

Jaina and Ryan grinned as he tossed down a duffel bag. "Your stuff is in there. Gear up, we need to find the others."

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John examined the vent in his and Ryan's cell. He was too bulky to fit through, but Ryan was kind of small…

He turned and his jaw dropped at the sight of Ryan unlocking his cell, tossing a duffel bag at his feet. "All of you gear is in there, Tristan Jaina and I are freeing everybody. Get geared up and help me." He ordered. John stared for a moment before smiling, and grabbing the duffel.

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Sakura pulled at the bars as Aaron cowered in the corner. "Sakura, what are we going to do?! I can't fight a zombie, I have enough trouble even when I have a weapon!" He cried.

Sakura groaned, turning to him. "Aaron, you griping is doing nothing to get us out of here. Can you at least look around the cell? Try to find…"

Five guards burst into the room, and looked surprised to see them. "Oh? You're still here?" One said, earning a smack from his friend.

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "Why wouldn't we be?" She asked.

"Well, because of the… No reason! Nope, just a routine check. No particular… FUCKING HELL!"

The blade of a sword thrust through the guard's chest, and swiped out to decapitate another. Tristan snapped the neck of a third guard as the other two panicked and fumbled with their guns. Too slow, Diego leapt over Tristan, tearing out their throats.

Tristan smiled at Sakura, flicking his blade so the blood would fly off. "Miss me?" He asked.

Sakura has a huge grin across her face. "How did you… Never mind. We need to get to the others."

Tristan pulled out a key ring, unlocking their cell. "Already in it. Ryan and Jaina are going around getting the others, Grant and Alec are next for me. Care to join me?" He said, handing her a duffel bag.

Sakura smiled as she unzipped it to find her katana. "Hell yes."

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The door creaked open, and another one of the pricks started for the girls. He had his eyes in Rachel.

Her eyes widened as the other girls moved to shield her. "No, no please! Please don… Ryan!"

Ryan tackled the guard, roaring as he jammed a knife into the shocked man's chest. "Burn in Hell, asshole." He growled, as the guard choked. Ryan had made sure he stabbed his lungs so he couldn't scream.

Ryan grabbed his keys, and started working on freeing the girls. He had a sad face on as all the women in the room were cheering, thinking they were saved. As all the girls cried and embraced their savior, he whispered to them. "The entire compound has been alerted. We don't have tom to free all of them." He said, choking on his words.

Amber was the first to react. "What?! We can't leave them! Do you know what these monsters have been doing?!"

Ryan tried to calm her down. "Tristan said we're coming back! But right now we need to escape, regroup for an assault. If we don't leave now we'll be killed."

Natalie was about to yell at him when Ella came to his defense. "He's right. As horrible as it is, we need to leave." She turned to all the terrified women in the dark dungeon. "We will come back for you! We promise!"

Ryan was already leading the girls out of the dungeon as the women screamed at them, calling them heartless and evil. Ryan averted his eyes, determined to get his friends to safety first.

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Alec was nervously pacing the cell as Grant walked around, examining their prison for escape.

They heard gunshots, and Tristan and Sskura burst into the room, Diego covering their backs behind them. After Tristan unlocked the cell, Sakura tossed I. Their duffel bags. "Get geared up, now. We're running out of time." She barked.

Alec and Grant hastily geared up as Tristan joined Diego in holding off the guards. Alec looked at Sakura. "Have you found the girls yet?" He asked, pain and hope in his voice.

"Ryan is getting them, we're getting out of here." She assured him. "Now let's move."

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Tristan left them to get Alice and David, telling them to head for the main garage. Their vehicles were in there.

The whole group met up, shooting and stabbing as they fought their way to the garage. Sure enough, as soon as they got there, they spotted their convoy all parked together.

Sakura hesitated as they loaded into the vehicles. John grabbed her shoulder. "He'll be here." He said, gently pulling her into the RV. "I know he will."

Sakura nodded, running to start up the RV. As they drove for the door, Tristan ran into the room with the kids, duffle bags on his and a guard's back. He had a pistol to the guard's head, and shot the controls to open the door. As it rose, Salira slowed the TV long enough for the four of them to get on, and floored it to join the others. They raced across the concrete, John leading the way in his APC, heading straight for the fence.

They rammed through it, driving off into the woods, bullets following them as they escaped the hellish compound.

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After they had gotten a few miles away, Sakura stopped the RV. The others followed suit, and Tristan got out, and headed for the trunk. He popped it open, and grabbed their prisoner, tossing him to the ground.

John, Grant, Sakura, Jaina, and James all dumped their heavy duffels at Tristans feet. "Alright." John said. "I assume you have a plan."

Tristan grinned, and looked at Jaina. "You know what my favorite part of the military was?" She raised her eyebrow. Tristan started unzipping the duffels as everyone gathered around, and their mouth's dropped. "The toys."

Inside the duffel bags were RPG-7's, a minigun, grenade launchers, frag grenades, and an anti tank rifle. "Where the hell did you get these?" Jaina breathed.

"In the same place I got our gear. They kept all the weapons in one room, they even have a tank." Tristan answered. "Now, we're equipped to take them down."

"Wait, we're going back?" Natalie asked, trembling.

Alec embraced her, but his eyes were hard. Natalie had told him of her fate during the drive. Pissed off did not begin to describe how he was feeling. "Yeah, we are. And we're going to kill every fucking prick in there." He growled.

Aaron scratched his head. "Look, we barely escaped with our lives. We're all free now, we should go now while we have the chance."

Grant sighed. "You're right, Aaron, but to leave the other prisoners there is wrong."

Tristan nodded. "Damn right it is. We're going to avenge everyone those monsters have hurt." He turned to the the battered guard. "And you're going to help us." He growled.

The guard laughed. "I ain't tellin' you shit." He said.

Tristan grinned coldly. "I'm sorry, I must have mislead you. You seem to be under the impression you have a choice." He stalked over to the pale man. He tilted his head, and then drew his knife and stabbed the screaming man in a he crotch. "Now." He growled in a low, guttural voice. "You are going to tell me everything you know about that compound."

Dun dun dun! Review


	21. Prison Break and Revenge

Hello once again. In this chapter, you will read of blood, death, and major badassery. Enjoy.

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As much as everyone loathed the men who had captured them and what they had done, after an hour of the guard's screams and a few body parts cut off, Liz finally took the kids into the RV to distract them. Aaron soon followed, followed by Sorano and Amber. Even Grant had enough when Tristan cut off the man's ear and tossed it behind him.

The rest were simply disappointed they didn't get the chance to go at the guard themselves. They took solace in the fact that once Tristan got all the information he needed, they would march on the base.

Ella was sitting by herself, listening to the torture, lost in her thoughts. She felt someone sit next to her, and she looked up at John. He was looking at her with worried eyes. "So, I realize that you must be going through some hard shit right now. But… I have to ask. I know they raped Natalie." Ella flinched at the word. "But… Did they… Do anything to you?" He finished, worry in his voice.

Ella shook her head. "No, but…" She stopped herself. John's eyebrow was raised, expecting her to continue. She took a shuddering breath. "I think… That in the beginning, I was the most terrified out of all of us."

John examined her face. Her long black hair was twisting in her fingers, as she played with it nervously. Her light face was sullen, her green eyes full of sorrow. "Why? What happened?"

Ella was silent, hesitant to share. "I… have been… you know… before." she said slowly.

John's brows knit together. "You have?"

Ella nodded, tears falling down her face at the memory. "I was nineteen. I got into an argument with Dean, and I left the house and went to a bar using a fake ID. I got wasted, and… a guy came up to me. He acted all polite, and offered to drive me home. And…" she covered her hand with her mouth.

"…And you accepted his offer." John finished for her, eyes soft. "Ella, I'm so sorry."

She shuddered. "He took me to the outskirts of the city. That's where he did it. He kicked me out of the car when he was done, and I was barely able to call Dean to come pick me up." She was sobbing now, and to her surprise John wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "They never caught the bastard." She said. John said nothing, Ella was just thankful for the shoulder to lean on. "That was one of the worst things that has ever happened to me, John. But, as horrible as it was, I can't stop thinking about how all those women have been through so much worse. They're violated every day by those monsters, humiliated and taken advantage of. It's horrible."

"That's why we're going to kill them." John growled. "Every single one."

Ella nodded, and stood up. She turned to look at John. "Thank you, for listening." She said. She picked up her gun and walked to the RV. John watched her back as she walked. He scowled. Her story had just made him angrier at the assholes they were going to be killing. They would suffer for all they did.

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"Anything else?" Tristan growled, twisting the knife in the man's knee.

"No! No, that's all I know, I swear! Please, for the love of God, stop!" He pleaded.

Tristan yanked the blade out of his knee. The guard was covered in blood, multiple flesh wounds, six of his fingers missing, four of his toes, his left ear too. His crotch was mutilated, overall a living corpse. Tristan looked in his eyes. He wasn't lying, Tristan had gotten all the information out of him that he was going to. Tristan smiled. "Thank you so much for your cooperation. You can die now." Tristan scowled on that last part, and slashed the man's throat. The guard fell dead, and Tristan wiped his blades clean on his clothes.

He walked over to the group. "I have what I need, and I have a plan." He turned to Ryan, and tossed him the guard's walkie talkie. "I need you to find a way to permanently have something play over their radios, so they can't communicate with each other. John, Jaina, James, Sakura, you guys make sure all the weapons are good to go and loaded. Alec, you come with me and Diego. We're going to go scout out the base. The rest of you, make sure our vehicles are ready for assault. We're going in hard and fast. Let's go." Everyone moved to start their tasks, Alec picked up his pistol and followed Tristan and Diego into the woods, taking Ella's impala.

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They reached the base after five minutes. They parked in a hidden area, and the trio snuck through the bushes until the compound came into their sight. Tristan handed Alec a pair of binoculars. "Count the number of guards on watch. I'll be right back." He said. As he crept away, Alec complied. He scowled as he spotted Marlo barking orders as they tried patching the massive hole they had made in their fence. He turned his attention to the guard towers. There were six, and from what he could see each one had two men posted in it. Twelve in all, and each one had a sniper rifle. The garage opened, and his mouth dropped as a tank, not the zombie, but an actual tank was driven out.

"M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank." Tristan's voice said, causing Alec to jump. "Very tough."

Alec looked at the tank. "Won't our rocket launchers get rid of it?"

"Despite what you see in videogames and TV and movies, RPGs are actually incredibly inaccurate. It only makes impact in the general area you aim at. And that thing isn't exactly slow. It's better to use anti tank mines or C4, but we don't have either of those." Tristan answered grimly.

Alec sighed. He was furious at these monsters, but despite the weapons they had taken, it still seemed virtually impossible to take these guys down.

Tristan patted his back. "We'll do it, Alec. They're going to pay for everything." He looked at the sullen man. "We're going to make sure they suffer for hurting Natalie."

Alec nodded, determination in his eyes. "We're going to tear into those bastards."

Tristan clapped Alec on the back. "That's the spirit. Alright, I've seen enough. Let's head back."

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When they got back, Ryan called Tristan over, and Alec went to help Connor with smoothing out the armor on the vehicles.

Ryan and Amber held up the contraption they had built. Apparently, Amber was fond of tinkering, and had surprisingly good knowledge of electronics. "Once you activate it, it will play whatever you're playing non stop, cutting off their communications since the channels will be full." Ryan set the device down. "So, why are you playing music over their radios? I think we should be taking this more seriously."

Tristan was hooking up his iPod. "Aside from the fact that it will disrupt their communications, it plays into a fear factor."

Ryan raised his eyebrow. "How is music going to scare them?"

Tristan looked up at Ryan. "Tell you what. Go piss off a team of ex military, revenge hungry, ex pro wrestler people, who have a large arsenal of weapons, who you have seen first hand brutally kill your teammates. And when they march on your base, and on top of all that, Andrew W.K. is telling you to get ready to die, you tell me if whether or not you've pissed your pants." he went back to hooking up his iPod. "I'm going to be playing my 'Killing people' Playlist. Lots of dark, angry songs. Trust me, they'll be terrified."

Ryan was silent, then nodded. "Fair enough. So, when do we strike?"

"Once everyone knows the plan, immediately." Tristan answered. "Call everyone over."

Ryan complied, and once everyone had gathered, Tristan faced them. "Alright, main priority is to rescue the other prisoners in there. Second priority, kill every son of a bitch in there. We're going to disrupt their communications first, then we're going in hard and fast. We're going to start at the front gate, and once we clear the courtyard, we're going to make our way inside the compound. Our 'friend' was generous enough to give me a rough map of the place in the dirt. Once we're inside the building, the Z-Pits are going to be down a corridor near our position, along with them the prisoners forced to fight the zombies. We'll free them first, hopefully getting some of them to join us in battle. Then we'll slowly make our way through the compound. They have an emergency plan in place for this kind of situation. There's a large room in the middle of the compound. If one side of the compound is compromised, they all gather in that room. There's no way past them, so we'll basically reach a point where we can't advance. A few of us will sneak around them while the rest of us hold the fort, making sure they're distracted. Those of us who sneak away will free the women, then return for an attack from behind." He looked at Elizabeth. "You, Aaron, Sorano, Amber, and the kids are staying here."

Most of them were fine with that, except Amber and the kids. "Why do we have to stay behind?" She asked indignantly.

"Because you're not fighters, and this is going to be beyond dangerous. I'm not putting you guys in danger." Tristan answered.

Sakura walked over to her sister. "Amber, he's right. I don't want to be too harsh, but you're not skilled enough for this. This is too dangerous."

Alice and David were begging Tristan to come. "Please! You've been teaching us how to fight!"

"I've been teaching you how to defend yourselves, how to shoot. I haven't taught you how to hold your own in a real battle like this." Tristan answered sternly. "There's going to be a lot of bullets flying around, fire and explosions. That may sound cool, but it's dangerous. Very dangerous. You're not coming."

They pouted as Liz led them away so the people involved in the assault could talk. "We're ready to go. Grab your weapons."

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"One hundred ninety seven men. One hundred and ninety fucking seven of my men! Dead!" Marlo roared as one of his men gave him a damage report in front of a couple dozen other men. "No wounded, they killed everyone they saw! And you're telling me, that none of you, not a single one of you, was able to kill one of them?! Not one fucking person?! I thought you dumbasses were supposed to be guards. As in you guard the compound, and kill anyone who tries to escape!" He fumed and paced in front of his trembling men. "What the hell is wrong with you jackasses?!"

"W-we… just… we couldn't… they w-were…" A man stammered, causing Marlo to roar in anger and draw his pistol.

He shot the guard to the horror of the other guards, and turned to them. "Find them! Fan out through the woods, and bring them to me!" Marlo boomed. "I want them alive, especially the marine who got them all out! Now!" He shouted, scrambling the guards. As they scurried out of his quarters, he walked over to his window that looked over the front courtyard. He formulated exactly what he was going to do to punish them. First, he would restrain the men, then he and his own men would tie the women down right in front of them, and…

His thoughts were interrupted by the intercom. "Good evening gentlemen. My name is Tristan, I'll be your killer for the evening. I'd just like to take this chance to inform you that shit is about to go down." Following his sentence was a huge explosion, a second immediately following. Marlo glared out the window. Two of his guard towers had been blown up. Then two lights flashed from the woods, and two more towers were gone. The missing rocket launchers.

"A playlist of suitable killing music will accompany our assault over your radios tonight. See you soon!" His voice cut out, and Marlo's walkie, along with everyone else's, started playing upbeat music. Marlo scowled as the lyrics started.

This is your time to pay. This is your judgement day! We made a sacrifice and now we get to take your life!

The RV smashed through the fence, followed by the APC.

We shoot without a gun! We'll take on anyone! It's really nothing new, it's just a thing we like to do!

Marlo's scowl deepened as the marine got out of the RV, followed by the red haired woman, and the two of them started hacking and slashing at his men.

You better get ready to die! They were fanning out now, setting a perimeter. His men were shouting, followed by screams as they were killed. Tristan had the antitank rifle, and as his tank rounded the corner to face them, he fired four shots, decimating the tank. Marlo reached for his walkie, then cursed as he realized that with the damned music playing he couldn't contact his men. You better get ready to kill!

Marlo turned on his heel. Hopefully the idiots would remember the plan they had in place in case of a breach. Even he got slight shivers at the next line.

You better get ready to run, 'cause here we cooooooome! You better get ready to die! Get ready to die!

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Tristan and John kicked down the door, and they ran inside. "Ella, Rachel, James, stay outside, kill anyone trying to escape. If they yell 'Pie,' as they're running, don't shoot them." Tristan ordered. The three of them were confused by this command, but obeyed, staying outside.

Tristan took the lead, Jaina behind him. The others trusted that the two of them knew what they were doing.

Tristan held up a hand at a corner, peeked around it, then did some rapid hand gestures to Jaina, who seemed to understand what he was saying perfectly. She responded, he nodded, and stood up. He took a grenade from his satchel, pulled the pin, released the spoon, waited two seconds, and tossed it around the corner. Three seconds later, it went off, and bodies flew out.

There were two corridors. Tristan motioned for the left, and they all ran down it. Soon, they reached the long corridor full of cells. Tristan turned to the group, tossing them all key rings. "Everyone start freeing prisoners, tell them to grab a gun and wait until we've freed everyone. Move!"

They all complied, working to unlock all the cells, relaying Tristan's message. All the prisoners were freed after two minutes, and Tristan ran up to the group of men and women. "Alright, I'll make this short and simple. The exit is down that way," he gestured with his hands. "If you leave now, yell 'Pie' as you leave the building, otherwise our friends will assume you're one of the bad guys and shoot you. Or, you can help us kill these assholes, and free the women they're keeping as sex slaves." A new song was playing over the intercom. "And take your revenge on these pricks for throwing you into pits with zombies for their personal entertainment!"

If you feel, so empty. So used up, so let down. "We're going to kill every fucker in here! Now, make your decision. Go run, save yourself, or help save another life. Help us avenge all those who have been wronged by these guys!" If you feel, so angry. So ripped off, so stepped on.

A few of the prisoners had already left after he told them the safe word, a few more dismissed him and followed. But the rest shouted in eagerness, grabbing the guns they were offered, ready to fight. You're not the, only one. Refusing, to back down.

Tristan shouted with them. "Let's go kick some ass! They're just a few rooms away!"

A massive battle cry as they ran out the door to kill the bastards. You're not the, only one! So get uuuuuuuuuuup!

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Marlo's men had set up their fortifications. Their technician still had had no luck turning off the music. Let's start a riot! A riot! Let's start a riot! Let's start a riot! A riot! Let's start a riot!

Gunshots and yells, ten of his men lay dead now. Marlo growled as he saw that they had released the prisoners, and armed them. They were gunning down the defenses, but Marlo wasn't afraid. Though they couldn't see it now, he had over seven hundred men in this room. He held out his hand, and swiped. That was the signal. His men all detached from the shadows, and started to fire, instantly killing the front line of prisoners.

Marlo grinned as they were pushed back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tristan, one of the other boys in his group, and a girl sneaking around them. He grinned. Clever, but not good enough.

He turned, and grabbed a chainsaw, and headed for where he knew they were going. Unfortunately for them, he knew a shortcut.

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Liz nervously tapped her foot. The kids had been sulking in the mustang for awhile now.

Sorano noticed her nervousness. "I'm sure they're fine, they're upset that Tristan left them with us."

Liz shook her head. "They should have come out by now. I've worked with kids my whole life, they've never been this silent and isolated themselves for so long." She glanced at Corporal, who was lazily sleeping by the impala. Ella had insisted he stay here. "Alright, I'm going to talk to them."

She walked up to the car, and peered through the tinted windows, and gasped when she saw that the kids weren't inside. "Sorano! They're gone!"

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Alice and David gripped their pistols as they snuck through the bushes. The compound came into view, and they grinned at each other. Tristan would let them help with all the missions when they impressed him. They started down the hill.

Ella sat by Rachel who had her AW-50 out. They saw a man run through the doors, screaming, "PIE! PIE!"

James laughed. So far only three actual guards had tried to run. Ella was itching for a chance to take her anger out on the guards, but she knew she was playing an important part. There was no telling how many… oh shit. "Alice? David?! Oh no, STOP!" She called out.

The kids glanced her way, then disappeared inside the building.

James nudged her. "Go stop them, we got it held down out here." He said. Ella nodded, and ran to pursue the kids.

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John gritted his teeth as he shot down a line of men before jerking back behind cover. A guard came around the corner, and Sakura decapitated him. The prisoners were dropping, caught up in vengeance and getting sloppy. Natalie had almost made the same mistakes six times now, each time Ryan pulled her back.

They heard running, and he turned to see Ella run into their area, out of breath. "Did… you see… the k… kids… run through here?" She panted.

Sakura paled. "What?! The kids are here?!"

Ella nodded, standing up and shooting a man who ran behind their defenses. "I saw them run in here, they must have snuck away from the others."

Sakura sheathed her sword. "Stay here and help the others, I'll get them." She said, taking off down the halls. John tossed Ella a water bottle, which she gulped down gratefully. She picked up an assault rifle, and knelt next to John. "I've been waiting for a chance to get revenge." She growled, and started firing. John smiled at her determination.

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Alec and Natalie ran side by side behind Tristan as they raced for the dungeon, Natalie giving directions.

They turned corners, dashed down halls, and burst into a room, filled with men. Natalie gasped, and pointed at the grinning sleaze in front. "He… he was…"

Tristan and Alec drew their weapons, as did the guards. "Who is he?" Tristan whispered, as they stood in a standoff.

The guy in front laughed. "Well, look who came back! The bitch wants more!" He cackled, drawing hyena laughs from the others and scowls from Tristan and Alec.

Natalie was trembling. "He… was the first one. The first one to…"

That was all Alec needed to hear. He fired his pistol, and missed. The man scowled, and they all opened fire on each other.

Tristan groaned as they hid behind cover. "We need to get to the slaves! We don't have time for this!"

Alec and Natlalie had determined expressions on their faces. "Go, we'll hold them off." Alec said, breaking cover to fire his gun. "Go!"

Tristan nodded, and dashed out from behind cover, and ran around the guards. Alec and Natalie covered them, keeping the mens' heads down.

He escaped into the hall on the other side, running to save the women.

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Alice and David heard Sakura calling after them, but they kept running. If they could find Tristan, they could help him with whatever he was doing.

They saw Alec and Natalie in a room shooting people, and turned down another corridor. Sakura was gaining on them.

They turned down another hall, and Alice thought she saw Tristan's jacket flying behind him as he ran into a room.

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The women in the dungeon whispered among themselves. They had heard commotion outside, and gunfire. The escapees really had come back for them!

They all smiled with hope as the metal door swung open, then their faces twisted in fear when they saw the lumberjack standing in the doorway, chainsaw in hand. He grinned maliciously, and revved up the weapon.

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(A/N: I would highly recommend listening to "Monster" by Skillet in this scene. I didn't write it in because I felt song lyrics interrupted the dark battle.)

Tristan ran as hard as he could, making his way to the dungeon they kept the women in. He finally burst through the doors into the room where they… he decided not to think about it. He spotted the heavy iron door, and ran to unlock it. But as he reached it, he found it cracked open. An apprehensive feeling rose in his stomach, and he opened it. He gasped at what he saw inside.

The women had all be shredded apart. Their bodies were mutilated, blood spattering the ground and walls. And there was Marlo, grinning and waiting for him, bloody chainsaw on the ground next to him. His face and clothes were stained with the women's blood. "Was wondering when you'd show up. I'm afraid you're too late to save them, they seem to have misplaced their limbs. And heads. And blood." He laughed, gravelly and deep.

Tristan scowled, his eyes glinting and wide. "You fucking prick. You're going to pay for all of this! For kidnapping these people, for raping these women, for killing all these innocents, for fucking with my friends!" He growled.

"Come on, soldier boy! Show me what you're made of!" Marlo bellowed, beckoning him forward, taunting him. "Why don't you show me that you have a bite to back up your bark!"

"Oh, you'll wish biting is all I'll do to you." Tristan growled. He roared, and charged at Marlo. He tackled the man, ramming him into the wall. Marlo grabbed the back of his jacket, and effortlessly lifted the man into the air, and threw him at a wooden support. Tristan got to his feet, waiting for Marlo to reach him. Once he did, Tristan kicked at his knee, drawing a grunt from his opponent and bringing him to his knees. Tristan immediately followed this by kneeing him in the jaw, punching him to the ground, grabbing his mangy hair and dragging him to the support and bashing his head against it.

Marlo grunted, pushing Tristran off and turning to him, blood running from a fresh cut in his forehead. He grabbed Tristan's leg, and tossed him at the wall. He stalked over to the marine, and drew his wooden and steel ax, stained with many years worth of blood. He brought it down, and Tristan rolled away, kicking out at Marlo's stomach. He doubled over for a moment, giving Tristan enough time to grab his ax and wrench it away, tossing it to the other side of the room.

Marlo roared, and wrapped his arms around Tristan's torso, and charging at the wall. Tristan got the wind knocked out of him as he was slammed into the wall. He drew his SEAL knife, and jammed it into Marlo's back. Marlo howled, and Tristan brought his feet up and pushed off against the wall, causing Marlo to fall to the ground. Tristan got up, and growled, stalking over to the lumberjack. Marlo grinned, launching a massive uppercut, hitting Tristan's jaw and sending him crumpling to the ground gripping his jaw.

Marlo drew his knife, and tackled Tristan, bringing the blade slowly to his face. Tristan growled, using all his strength to keep the blade off of him. But Marlo's massive build gave him the advantage in brute strength, and slowly he got the tip of the knife to just above Tristan's left eyebrow. A drop of blood beaded on his skin, and then turned into a thin stream of blood as Marlo pressed into Tristan's head. Tristan was internally screaming, but on the outside he roared, and in an extreme risk pushed Marlo sideways, causing the blade to scrape across his eye. As Marlo rolled away, tristan wiped the blood from his face, and felt his eye. There was a gash above and below it, but he could still see. So the eye hadn't been damaged.

He roared again, and charged. He grabbed Marlo's knife hand, and before he could react twisted it and drew a deep gash across Marlo's gut. Marlo roared, and backhanded Tristan to the ground. He placed his hand over his abdomen to keep his intestines in, and limped over to Tristan. "You sonofabitch, you'll pay for that." He growled. He raised his knife, and swiped, Tristan narrowly dodging.

Tristan grinned, but his eyes were full of murder and hatred. "Not likely." He scowled again, and kicked out at Marlo's hand, pressing into his wound. Marlo groaned, moving his hand away just long enough for Tristan to lunge. To his horror, the marine thrust his hand into his wound. Tristan twisted his hand around inside Marlo, causing the man to scream in agony. He was helpless as Tristan ripped his hand back out, taking his intestines with him. Marlo gasped, unbearable pain all he could focus on, as his gut hung out of his wound. Tristan's eyes were shining, he had lost it. He was all caught up in the moment, and kicked out, his steel toed boot going into Marlo's wound. He howled, tears streaming into his beard. He lay on the ground. "P-please… kill me…" he begged. "Put me out of my mis…"

"No." Tristan barked, hatred in his voice. "You're going to suffer. You're going to suffer for as long as possible, and I'm going to make sure you're alive for all of it. I'm going to…"

"Tristan." Tristan head snapped to look at the doorway, to see Sakura looking at him. But what was worse, Alice and David were both staring in horror. Not at Marlo, but at him.

Tristan was suddenly very aware of his blood covered sleeve and glove, and realized he must look terrifying. "I… Alice, David…" He took a step towards them, and hurt flashed across him when they took a step back. He stared at them, then looked at Sakura. She nodded at him, and took the kids' shoulders and led them away.

He scowled as Marlo started laughing weakly. "Heh… heheheh… and you call me a monster. I think those kiddies are afraid of you now."

Tristan closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "Shut the fuck up."

"No, I don't think I will." he wheezed. "You think you're some kind of damned hero, trying to save these people, but you're just as fucked up as I am. You're just as violent, just as dangerous. How's that make you feel, eh?"

Tristan whipped around to glare at him. "I am nothing like you. You kill the innocent, you rape helpless women, you force people to risk their life for your entertainment."

Marlo grinned, his bloody teeth adding to his ghoulish appearance. "Maybe, but you're still a violent man. You stained my halls with the blood of my men, you killed those zombies in the Z-Pits in some of the most brutal ways I've seen. You actually ripped a head off! And look at what you did to me. And I'm guessing what I've seen of you is just the tip of the iceberg. How many atrocities have you committed, Tristan?" He taunted. He laughed again, then started hacking and coughing, blood coming up. "Do the ends justify the means, West? Is your violence and brutality justified by your 'noble intentions'? Face it, you're a monster in your own right."

Tristan clenched his fists, and glared at the lumberjack. But he said nothing. This brought a wide grin to Marlo's bloodied face. "I'm right, aren't I? You're…"

Tristan replaced his words with screams as he dug his toe into the wound. Marlo howled as Tristan tortured him. After a minute, he pulled his toe away, and walked to the heavy door. Marlo watched him leave, waiting for Death, bleeding out as Tristan left him in the dark. A minute after he left, Marlo took a final shuddering breath, and died, lying among the slaves he had slaughtered.

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Sakura and the kids were waiting for Tristan in the hall outside the rape room. After minute, and some more screams, Tristan opened the door and knelt down with them. He had a pained expression, and Sakura stood up, knowing to give them some privacy. "I'm going to go make sure the others are okay." She announced, leaving the three of them alone. Tristan sighed as the kids looked at him. "Alice, David? Do you remember what I said to you when I first agreed to let you two stay with me?" he asked.

"Do what you say, when you say it. We need to learn how to defend ourselves. Don't trust anyone until you say they're good. We always stick together. You reserve the right to make new rules. And if you get bitten, we need to…" they spoke in unison, but didn't want to say the last rule.

Tristan nodded. "Good, but you forgot one. Rule three: If you ever feel unsafe with me, you tell me, and I will take you to a good, safe town. That still applies, guys. I want you two to be completely honest with me." He looked them in the eyes. "Do you still feel safe with me?"

They hesitated. "Why did you do that to him?" Alice asked after a minute of silence.

Tristan sighed. "Listen. I've changed a lot since Z-Day. I killed people in the military, sure, but I didn't used to be as… brutal. But my beliefs have remained the same. And I believe that people who do evil things, like murder the innocent, who rape, who hurt others in bad ways, deserve death. And I can get… carried away with making sure they get punished. That man was a monster. He raped women, murdered innocents. He tried to kill all of us. That's why I did what I did." He made sure they were looking at him. "I want you two to feel safe. And if being around me, knowing I do what I do, makes you feel unsafe, then you shouldn't be around me."

Alice looked at him, then hugged him, followed by David. "We do feel safe with you, Tristan." Alice said.

"Yeah, and we know that you're only scary when you're fighting bad guys." David added, smiling.

Tristan smiled, and wrapped his arms around the kids. "I realize I can be violent, scary, and intimidating. But I swear to God, I will never hurt the two of you." He promised.

They stayed like that, silent for almost ten minutes, before Sakura returned, telling them it was time to go. As they stood and walked with Sakura, she turned to Tristan. "We heard Marlo's little speech to you. And I want you to know, he's wrong." She said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Tristan kept his grim look. "Is he?" He wondered aloud, not denying or agreeing with her statement.

Sakura stopped him. "Yes. He is. You are a good man, Tristan."

He smiled at her. "Thanks."

She smiled back, then she took a good look at his face, and noticed the gash. "Oh my God, what did he do to you?"

Tristan sighed. "He drew his blade across my eye… area. The actual eye isn't damaged, I can still see, but I'm going to have a nasty scar going up and down my left eye."

She grimaced. "Let Rachel patch you up when we get back to the others, okay?" Tristan started to say that they were low on supplies when she cut him off. "That didn't work for John, it's not going to work for you. This is an injury, it qualifies for using our supplies."

Tristan smiled. "Alright, fine. I'll let her fix me up."

They continued to walk. Once they reached the garage, John called Tristan over to his position. When he got there, John gestured towards an empty parking space. "When we left before, Wade's prison truck was parked here. It's gone now, and none of us reported seeing or killing Wade. He left."

Tristan walked over to the space, and knelt down. His brow furrowed at what looked like marks. He pressed his hand against them, it was burnt rubber. He stood, and followed the faint trail out of the garage, passing the rest of the group as they prepared to leave. John was walking with him, and Sakura joined as Tristan led them around the side of the building. Up ahead was a hole in the fence, and the tracks ran right through it.

Tristan whistled, and Diego came running. "Pick up Wade's scent, I'm going to memorize the tire marks." He ordered. Diego immediately started sniffing around, while Tristan found a good mark and knelt down to memorize it. "Sakura, can you see if there's a motorcycle in there?" He asked.

Once Sakura found one and wheeled it to him, Tristan had a duffel bag with supplies in it, Diego by his side. Rachel was finishing up disinfecting the wound, and offering him some gauze, which he refused. He handed Sakura a radio, holding up his own. "I can move faster on the bike, so Diego and I are going to take a head start to track him down. I'll leave marks for you, give you directions to where I'm going. I need to head out now, so… bye."

Sakura looked at the radio. "So you're leaving us?"

"No, I'm getting a head start to find him. We move too slow all together, so I'll lead you guys to him. Sound like a plan?" Tristan answered.

John nodded in confirmation. "Alright, then you better get moving. We have no idea how long he's been gone for."

Tristan gave a small smile, and got on the bike, Diego hopping into his lap. Sakura grinned at the picture in front of her, Tristan had Diego propped up like a person, back legs with his own and front legs and paws on the handlebars. Tristan revved the bike, then took off to start the hunt.

Review! Thank you, DarkMatterPhantom, for the villain. Next time, on the Walking Dead: The Hunt for Wade.


	22. The Hunt

Hello, ladybugs and gentlecats! Time for the next chapter! Side note, I'm doing away with the no more than one OC per person rule. But I'm still going to be selective with who I accept.

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As Tristan rode off, the rest of the group prepared to leave. Jaina watched as Rachel took a look at her brother's back, both of them scolding him for his stupidity. "Ryan, answer me for Christ's sake. Why did you tackle fucking boomer?!" She demanded, being a tad too forceful in her stitches.

He winced. She was pissed off. "I didn't think, I just acted. If I hadn't tackled it, it would have killed her."

"Yeah, and it almost killed you." Jaina added.

Ryan glared at her. "Why are _you_ pissed off? I saved you."

Jaina scowled, but stayed silent. Ella walked over to check up on them. "How you doing, Ryan?"

He winced at Rachel's forceful stitching. "I was fine until I started getting stabbed with a needle."

"I'm sewing your wound shut, dumbass." Rachel muttered.

Ryan looked at Sakura as she walked over. "So, do you, Tristan, or John have any ideas about what we're going to do about all the women? I mean, I don't think they can survive on their own, but that's a lot of…" He faltered at Sakura's crestfallen face. "Sakura, where are the women?"

Sakura took a deep breath. "They're dead. Marlo got to them before Tristan. He… dismembered them. It's… not pretty."

Rachel hand stopped mid stitch, as her, Ella, and Ryan's mouths fell open. Natalie whirled on Ryan. "You son of a bitch! I told you we shouldn't have left them! We had the chance to save them, and you let them die!"

Ryan didn't say anything in his defense. He looked shattered. Jaina came to his defense instead. "Nat, if you had stayed you all would have died too."

Natalie glared at her. "Those women were battered, raped, and beaten _every day_ for God knows how long. Some of them were _kids_ , Jaina. What happened to me, they had happen every day. They deserved freedom from their slavery, a chance to try and reclaim their lives. Instead, we left them to be slaughtered like pigs in a butcher shop!" She growled.

Rachel slowly continued to stitch up Ryan, saying nothing. She wanted very much to come to her brother's defense, but she knew Natalie was right.

Sakura had stayed silent during the whole exchange. "What's done is done." She said finally. "Right now we need to move on."

"I can't move on." Nat muttered as she walked away. "Not yet."

Rachel watched her go, then got up to follow her. Ryan sighed, and started to pack up the medical supplies. Jaina touched his shoulder. "If it means anything," she said softly. "I think you made the right decision. You put our people first."

Ryan's eyes were watery. "I made the decision to leave them behind, Jaina. Their blood is on my hands."

"It's on Marlo's hands, Ryan. He's the one who killed them." Ella said, trying to boost his spirits. "Besides, I supported your decision, I encouraged the others to leave too."

"That doesn't matter, Ella." He said as he closed the pack, and handed it to Ella to return to her car. "It was my idea, it's my fault they were left to be killed by him." He didn't give Jaina or Ella a chance to talk again, walking away as he finished his statement. They watched his back with worry.

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Michael dug through the dumpster, looking for _anything_ useful. Nada. He cursed, louder than he wanted, and slid down the side, sitting on the cold concrete. He heard a motor, and scrambled to hide. He jumped into the dumpster, closing the lid so that he could see outside but he was still hidden. He saw a headlight, and as it died down he saw a motorcycle, with a tall man in a leather jacket, satchel, and fedora… good God he looked like Indiana Jones! That was so cool!

A large dog was riding with him, and suddenly it barked, and the man stopped the bike, both of them getting off.

Tristan had seen the kid hide in the dumpster, but he decided it wasn't worth getting into at the moment. He had to find that traitorous bastard. If the kid wanted to come out, he could.

Diego ran to some tracks, and Tristan knelt down to study them. They matched the prison truck tire tracks. He looked up, his eyes following its path. They curved down a street, and as he peered through his binoculars, he saw them head out of the town.

He hung the binos around his neck, and turned to see a zombie shambling towards him. He pulled out his radio. "John, you there?"

James's voice came on. "John went hunting. I'm here. What'd you find?"

"Wade did come through here, stopped in front of a grocery store, and left the town." As the zombie neared him, Tristan calmly picked up a pole, and ran it through the zombie, raising it and setting it up in the dirt. "Look for a zombie impaled on a pole when you get here, head left down the intersection in front of it, and keep going. I'm moving on." He hooked the radio on his belt, and ran his knife through the zombie's skull.

He had heard a sharp cry when he had impaled the zombie, and smiled. Diego looked at him questioningly, asking if he should go fetch the hiding human. Tristan shook his head, walking towards the cycle. Then he froze. It occurred to him that the kid could have seen Wade, and could have an idea of where he went. He turned towards the dumpster and started marching towards it, trying not to laugh as the lid slammed shut. He stood in front of it, waiting. After a minute, the lid slowly raised, and he grabbed the edge, flipping it back all the way and scaring the shit out of the kid inside. "Hey there." He greeted, smiling. "Kind of smelly for a hiding place, don't you think?"

The kid looked terrified, and he softened his look. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you. I wanted to ask you if you saw a guy that I _am_ going to hurt. About your height, lanky, dark skin, brown eyes? Wears a really ugly green jacket?" He had relaxed a little, but still looked scared. "My name's Tristan. What's yours?"

"Uhh… Michael. So, you're not going to hurt me?" He asked hesitantly.

"So long as you're not an asshole, yeah." He noticed Michael's shirt, and smiled. "I remember Fallout. Good game, preferred Skyrim though."

That seemed to make him warm up. "Big tough guy like you played video games?"

"Played? I still do. I still have my 360 from the old days." He replied, grinning. He got a good look at the now relaxed Michael. About half a foot shorter than Tristan, he had short brown hair and brown eyes. He looked young, about 19. Over his Fallout 3 shirt he had a black jacket with a white stripe down the side. He had a large backpack on the floor of the dumpster next to him, along with an uzi and metal baseball bat, dented and bloody from five years of bashing undead brains.

"I haven't seen anyone in two weeks, sorry." He said. His smile faltered when Tristan cursed. "What did he do?"

"He betrayed our group, turning us over to a horrible group of men. I'm tracking him down, a lot of us want to have words with him." Tristan growled. "Well, thanks anyway. Stay safe." Tristan started walking towards the motorcycle.

Michael scurried out of the dumpster. "Wait!" Tristan paused, turning to look at Michael. "I know this area pretty well, I've setup my own hideout in the next town over. Maybe I can help?" He asked hopefully. The last friendly person he had met was several months ago, and they had been bitten.

Tristan smiled. "Alright, I'd appreciate that. So long as you don't mind riding a motorcycle." Michael hesitated at that. "Come on, let's go."

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Wade parked the truck in front of a video store. He was trembling, he knew that he still hadn't managed to lose them. He took a deep breath. _Calm down, Wade. You've gotten yourself out of way tougher situations._

The radio Tristan had given him to stay in contact with the others crackled to life. "John, you there?"

James's voice came on. "John went hunting. I'm here. What'd you find?"

"Wade did come through here, stopped in front of a grocery store, and left the town." Wade cringed at Tristan's voice. "Look for a zombie impaled on a pole when you get here, head left down the intersection in front of it, and keep going. I'm moving on."

No time to stop, he had to keep driving. He slammed on the gas pedal, and then barely slammed on the brakes when a kid ran out in front of him, followed by a woman, firing behind her.

He looked at where they had come from, and saw a horde nearing them. He grinned at the opportunity he saw. He kicked the passenger door open, and shouted, "In here! Hurry!"

The woman and teen gratefully ran to the prison truck and leapt inside, closing the door behind them. "Go! Go now!" the woman yelled.

He scowled at her orders, but complied, flooring it to escape the horde. As they raced through the streets, he introduced himself. "Name's Wade, but I prefer when people call me Dom."

The out of breath woman nodded. "Daniella. I prefer Dani."

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Michael had wrapped his arms around Tristan's body, and hadn't let go in over half an hour. He was driving the cycle incredibly fast. And despite his protests about the danger of attracting the zombies, he was playing music at a very loud level, and was singing along. "I'm awake! I'm alive! Now I know what I feel inside! Now, it's my time! I'll do what I want, 'cause this is my life!" he sang.

They got to the town Mike had specified, and he stopped the cycle, switching off his music. Mike shakily got off the bike, his heart pounding as Tristan gazed at their surroundings. His eyes lit up as he recognized the tire tracks. "Hey, he did come through here. Nice work, Mike."

Mike held up his hand in acknowledgement as he tried not to puke. "Glad… I could… could help…"

Tristan grinned. "First time riding a motorbike?"

Michael nodded, standing back up, confident he could hold his stomach. "So… how close do you think we are?"

Tristan ran his hand across the track. "Warm, a lot of rubber burned off here, he was in a hurry. And not long ago, either." He glanced at the street in front of them. A few zombies lay dead, fresh blood. Diego whined. "Diego smells the remnants of a horde, I'm guessing he parked here, saw a horde, and hightailed it out of here." Diego barked. "What?" He asked for reassurance, and Diego barked again. "Two other people were here, strange."

Michael stared at Tristan. "You can understand it?"

"Him, not it. And yes. Wade left here about forty-five minutes ago, and I imagine the horde followed where he went." He grinned. "So, when we find the horde, we'll be closer to him."

Michael looked at him like he was crazy. "We're going to _try_ to _find_ the horde? Are you nuts?"

Tristan turned to look at him, grinning. "Very."

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As Wade drove, Dani explored the back of the truck. It was a prison truck, that much was obvious. Tyson was going crazy over all the guns he had. "This is so cool! Standard issue police force defense weapons, where'd you get these?"

"I was a cop in the old world. I was escorting a criminal to a prison when the infection hit. Everyone else had died, so I went ahead and took this stuff for myself." Wade answered. "So. What's your story?"

As Tyson fangirled over the guns, Dani went back up front. "Tyson's my little brother. We've been together since the outbreak. Not much else to tell."

Wade examined her as she talked. She was hot, a silver nose piercing on top of her tanned skin, an exotic look to her. She had violet eyes, Wade wondered briefly if they were contacts, and honey hair with a red undertone. Her high rise jeans hugged her body, and were complimented by her red V-neck, which stopped above her bellybutton to show off another piercing. Wade wondered if he could manage to get her in bed before he had to use her to escape from the group that was hounding him.

He had small panic attack when he saw her katana. He had seen Tristan decapitate plenty of zombies with his. "Where'd you get the katana?"

Tyson answered this. "A month after the outbreak, we came across a small japanese antique shop. She found it, and I taught her how to use it."

Wade nodded, pursing his lips. Dani noticed he was driving pretty fast. "You know, we lost the horde a few miles back, you can slow down."

He chose his words carefully. He had to make sure she didn't doubt anything he said. "I'm on the run. There was a group of people I ran into about a week ago, and I found out they were pretty bad. They were bandits, and I helped another group try to take them down. They failed, and now the group is hunting me down for betraying them. I don't have the means of taking them all on myself."

Dani nodded, understanding. "And they're pretty hot on your trail?"

He nodded. "Yeah, so I need to get as far away from them as possible."

Dani sat back in her seat, thinking. "What kind of things did they do?" She asked.

 _There we go_. Wade thought, smiling to himself. "They were awful. One of them took women to his tent, and… I can't even say it." He mentally patted himself on his back at Dani's gasp. "They took what they wanted, when they wanted. There was this one town they had by the balls, threatening to kill everyone there if they didn't keep supplying them. Worst part was, they had these two kids that they took from a town, and were raising them to be just like them." He sighed. "I tried to take them with me, but they're too far gone. Completely brainwashed."

Dani tentatively touched his shoulder. "Oh my God. How did you escape them?"

"When I saw that the group I was helping was losing, I hopped in my van and took off. I hate myself for running, but they were goners." Wade answered, putting on a regretful face.

"I'm sure you did everything you could." Dani said, trying to comfort him. She smiled. "If they're following you, why don't we set a trap?"

Wade was ecstatic his plan was going so well. "A trap?"

"Yeah. They think you're just running, so we'll have the element of surprise. We could do an ambush. What all do they have?"

Wade counted in his head. "In all they have eighteen people and two attack dogs. An armored RV, and an APC. A mustang with a turret on top, and an Impala. They have a lot of weapons, and two of them are former Navy SEALS."

Dani faltered at this information. They didn't have a chance against them in a firefight. "Well, maybe we could rig something up? Like, an explosion, or fire or something?"

Wade nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that could work. And whoever survives will be disoriented, and we can pick them off."

Tyson looked at his sister worriedly. "That sounds… kind of merciless. You said they had two kids with them."

Dani glanced at her brother. "That's true… there's no way we can reason with them?"

He was losing her. "They're tyrants, Dani. And I told you the kids were brainwashed, as horrible as it sounds, do you want them to grow up to be monsters? These people don't deserve mercy."

Dani didn't answer, turning his words over in her head. "I'll help you set up the trap, but I'm not gunning anyone down."

Wade grinned. "Not a problem."

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John led the vehicles with the APC, driving faster than he ever had before. Tristan had directed them to a town, and they had found a shortcut. If he was right, they would meet up with Tristan in less than a minute.

James was sitting with him. He pointed. "There he is." He squinted. "Who's that with him?"

"He said he found a kid who said he could help track down Wade. Evidently, he did." John answered as they pulled up next to Tristan's bike, returning his wave.

Sakura was driving the RV, Amber next to her. She smiled when Sakura's eyes lit up when she saw Tristan. Then, fire surrounded them, the boom of an explosion deafening their ears.

Review! Welcome Michael by OoJockeyoO and Dani by Hawk-eye-33!


	23. The Cornered Rat Bites the Cat

Hello once more, readers. Time for another chapter! Enjoy.

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Wade grinned as his trap was triggered. He had taken some explosives from Marlo's armory, and rigged them to detonate up and down the street when one of the vehicles triggered the cord Dani had stretched across the road. Smoke rose from the street, the outline of the vehicles hazy.

He glanced at Dani, who had a slightly horrified look on her face. He would deal with her later, right now he had to ensure that there were as few survivors as possible. He grabbed a shotgun and assault rifle from the truck, and ensured that his riot gear was strapped on tightly. Thunder boomed as he started walking, lightning briefly adding to the fire's illumination.

He carefully made his way to the smoke, hearing coughing and calls to the group members. He peered through the smoke, and saw a figure moving towards him. And a fedora. He aimed and fired, and Tristan flew to the ground.

The group immediately retaliated, firing in all directions. A bullet slammed into Wade's chestplate, but he shrugged it off. He aimed, then felt a massive object slam into him. James had charged out of the mist looking incredibly pissed off.

Wade drew his pistol, and cried out as James twisted his arm, causing him to drop it. Then James cried out, as a bullet flew through his shoulder. Dani was standing behind him, panic in her face. "Ty! Run!" She shouted. She reached out for Wade's arm, when he paled even further. "WADE!"

Tristan stalked out of the smoky screen, rage in his eyes. His shirt was pocked with the shotgun shells, revealing his bulletproof vest beneath. "WADE!" He roared again, charging for him, barely noticing Dani swing a pipe at his head. He ducked, and slapped it out of her hand as Wade ran away. She screamed when he grabbed her wrist and leaned in. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that he lied to you and you might actually be a good person. Now fuck off and let us handle him." He growled, releasing her wrist and running where Wade had run. She was confused by his words, then yelped as a red haired asian woman ran out of the smoke to join him, followed by who she thought she recognized as an MMA fighter, John something. Then she paled as she heard Tyson yell out. She ran along with the other people who ran out of the smoke.

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When she and the others found Tristan, Sakura, and John, they were in a standoff with Wade, who to her horror had Tyson in a headlock, with a pistol pointed at his head. "Dom! What the hell are you doing?!" She cried out, rage and worry mixed in her voice.

"Be a man Wade! Don't hide behind a kid to save your own ass." Tristan growled.

Wade chuckled, but it was cold and evil. "I'm not stupid, I know what you're capable of. Letting him go is probably the stupidest thing I could do."

"The stupidest thing you could do is piss us off, and you already did that." John growled. "Only a coward does shit like this."

"Exactly! And I am a coward. See, I don't deny who I am. And while I may be a coward, I'm confident in saying that I'm also merciless and cunning. And I also know that none of you are going to risk a kid's life just to get me." Wade replied, a huge grin on his face.

Dani ran forward, and stopped when Wade squeezed Tyson's neck, making him choke. "Wade, please, don't do this." She pleaded, tears in her eyes. "I'm begging you. He's my baby brother."

"I'm not a…" Tyson choked as Wade cut him off. "You want me to spare him? Then make sure _they_ all toss their weapons over the bridge there." He bargained, jerking his head towards a bridge overlooking a road below.

Dani whipped around to look at the group. "Please, just do what he says! Tyson means everything to me!" She cried.

Tristan glared murderously at Wade. "I don't negotiate with people like him. I kill them."

Dani grabbed the front of his jacket. "Please." Was all she said.

Tristan's eyes softened, and he sighed and lowered his DMR. He unslung his katana, and threw it and his guns to the ground. "Over the bridge! Now!" Wade ordered. He scowled, and picked up his weapons, and started walking over to the bridge. Slowly, the others followed, James taking a bit longer unsheathing all of his knives axes and swords.

They made it to the bridge, and each had tossed their weapons over the side. John turned, and cursed to see Natalie still glaring at Wade, clutching her pistol. "Tristan, look." He urged, nudging him. Tristan cursed too, and jogged over to her with Alec. Before they reached her, though, she raised her gun, and Wade pressed his pistol into Tyson's head. "Natalie! Stop!" Alec cried as they slid to a halt, not wanting to provoke Natalie.

She was crying. "You turned us over to those monsters! That makes you just as bad as them!" She shouted. Rain had started to fall, it was hard to discern her tears from the water.

Ella slowly made her way past Tristan and Alec. "Nat, it's not worth endangering that boy. Put the gun down. Don't be stupid."

Nat glared at Ella. "How can you say that? With what happened to those women, what happened to _me_ , how can you be so willing to let him get away when he just handed us over to them like it was nothing?!" She was hysterical.

Dani was on the verge of hysteria herself. "N-Natalie is it? I don't know what happened, but please, my little brother's life is on the line. Don't put him in danger."

Ella was nearing Natalie now. "Nat, can I tell you something?" Natalie glanced at her, her hand unwaveringly trained on Wade. "Nat, I… went throught the same thing you did. When I was nineteen. I was taken advantage of, and the man who did it was never brought to justice. For so long I was broken, I felt like my life was over. But I moved on. I kept my head high and I went on with my life. And you can too. Don't act rash because you're feeling vulnerable."

Rachel had slowly joined Ella. "We're here for you, Nat. We can move past this."

Natalie had slowly lowered the gun, tears streaming down her face. Ella and Natalie scowled when Wade ruined the moment. "She has ten seconds to throw that gun over the bridge before I blow this kid's brains out."

That did it. Nat snapped, whipping her head to glare at him, and raised her gun. Everyone froze as the gunshot rang out, and Alec was the first to scream as Natalie clutched her chest, crumpling to the ground. Ella felt herself pushed out of the way as Alec raced to catch his sister before she hit the ground.

Tristan was the second to act, followed by John and James. The three of them raced to pursue Wade as he took Tyson with him as insurance, Dani following them.

The rest moved to Alec, as he clutched his sister in his arms, tears falling from his cheeks onto her body. He let loose a cry of anguish, burying his head in the crook of her neck. Rachel was covering her mouth, eyes watering, Amber and Ella too. The bullet had pierced her heart, she was dead before Alec had caught her. The rain washed the street with her blood, matting her and Alec's hair.

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Wade panted as he dragged the terrified boy through the streets, rainwater soaking his pants, the slapping sound of his feet against the wet pavement surpassed only by his heartbeat. He was royally fucked. He knew he had made a mistake the second he pulled the trigger, how could he not expect retaliation?

The sounds of his pursuers grew louder, and he sped up his efforts.

"Hey, if you let me go, I swear I won't tell them where you went! I'll stop them! I'll distract them!" Tyson pleaded, his pale blue eyes wide with fear.

"Shut the fuck up and run, or I'll put a bullet between your eyes." Wade growled. He yanked on Tyson's arm, and he complied, breathing heavily. They reached an old construction site, and he pushed Tyson inside. He navigated the wooden beams and metal poles, choosing a large steel tube to hide in. "Make one sound, and you're dead." He hissed. He shoved Tyson inside, and moved a crate in front of the tube. He knelt down, pulling Tyson down with him. He peeked over, and saw Tristan dash past, John following, James followed but stopped at the construction site. "I'm going to look in here! I'll call if I find him!" He yelled, and one of them must have given him the go ahead because he started walking along the site.

James was fuming. He was defenseless, Wade had the right decision making them toss the weapons over the bridge. Hopefully he'd get the chance to kill Wade himself, the bastard would pay for everything he'd done.

He gazed at the supports, and his eyes landed on a metal tube. With a crate in front of it. He narrowed his eyes. He slowly made his way over, picking up a small pipe on the ground. He stepped tentatively, silent as he progressed. As he moved, his hand moved for his radio to call the others.

Then the crate flew towards him. It was on wheels, and Wade had kicked it out towards him. James leapt out of the way, and as he stood up he was met with Wade's fist. He grinned, Wade hit like a bitch. He grabbed his wrist and squeezed, Wade crying out. James lifted him into the air and threw him at a drywall. Dust flew into the air as he smashed through it, and James jumped on top of him, and started punching. Wade squirmed away, and kicked out at James. As scrawny as he was, a boot to the face was still pretty painful, and James clutched his now bleeding nose. He took his hand away to see a grinning Wade holding a pistol to James's face. "Say goodnight, bitch." Wade sneered, as he started to pull the trigger.

The shot went sideways as Alec tackled Wade. They crashed through the drywall, and Wade scrambled away as the wild eyed Alec pursued him.

Wade moved out of the construction site, running for the street. Alec stayed hot on his tail, all the way back to the bridge. He finally caught up, and tackled Wade. They went sideways, and teetered on the edge of the railing. Alec had lost all reason,and kept pushing until they went over, landing in the grass. Wade cursed loudly when his leg twisted, and he struggled to a sitting position. Then he gasped for air as Alec wrapped his hands around Wade's throat.

Wade scowled, and got his knee under him to get enough leverage to push against Alec. Alec fell backwards, and Wade drew his knife and crawled on top of Alec.

Alec grabbed Wade's arm, struggling to keep the knife away from his face. "I'll kill you." He growled, his voice cracking. "I'll FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Wade grinned. "Don't be sad, Alec. You're going to be seeing your sister again. Very. Soon!" He laughed as he pressed into Alec, the knife drawing nearer and nearer to his head.

Alec screamed, rage and anguish and sorrow all etched into one animalistic scream. He twisted Wade's arm away, wiping the grin off of the prick's face, and with one final scream directed the blade back to Wade's head. The blade plunged into Wade's brain, and he groaned, twitching off of Alec. He twitched on the ground, and Alec grasped the handle of the knife, twisting and pulling. Brain matter pulled out with the blade, staining the grass as Wade lay dead. Alec let loose another scream, crying.

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Aaron volunteered to go get everyone's weapons as they prepared Natalie's funeral. Alec insisted on digging, and after ten minutes of trying to get a good hole going, Ryan and Rachel picked up some shovels and joined him.

Ella tried her best to clean up Natalie, cleaning her face of dirt and cleaning the wound. Tristan extracted the bullet, and volunteered one of his sheets to wrap her with. Sakura and Grant went to find a stone, and upon their return chiseled Natalie's name into the stone, and after gently asking Alec her birth date, chiseled that under her name.

Connor had found an apple tree, and they decided that would be the best place to bury her. Most of them stayed silent, preferring to silently pay their respects as others spoke. Rachel added in how Natalie had been one of the greatest friends she'd ever had, and Ryan added that Natalie had been a shining ray among their bleak perspectives of the apocalypse.

Alec was the last to speak. He took a minute to compose himself, then cleared his throat. "Natalie… was the world to me. She kept me strong when I was feeling weak, when I felt like giving up she pushed me to move forward. When we were kids, all we had was each other. Our father abandoned us, and we grew up watching each other's back. I spent my whole life doing everything I did to protect her, and when the apocalypse came, she was the optimist, always hoping that we would find peace, that a resolution would come. She… she always saw the best in people. She kept trying to help our father battle his addiction long after I had given up, she tried helping other people who shared our situation, despite the little we had. She was passionate, she was funny, she was kind. And now… now I feel lost without her." Connor put a hand on his shoulder as he started crying again. "S-She was the best person I knew… A… And now… I can only hope that she's hap… happy." He wiped his nose. "At least… At least now she's escaped the Hell on Earth." He had finished, and Ryan patted his back.

Tristan moved to start filling the hole, Grant, John, and James joining him. Alec started sobbing, and Ryan and Connor escorted him to the RV.

As they finished filling the hole, Sakura walked up to Tristan. She glanced worriedly at the RV. "Do you think he'll be okay?"

Tristan straightened the tombstone. "I don't know. If it were me, it would help that I had killed the son of a bitch that had killed her. That she had been avenged. But he's not me." He stood up and faced her. "I do plan to keep an eye on him, as I'm sure most of us will. I don't think he'll be incredibly stable. This… this is bad Sakura. He's lost the one person he truly cared for. The history they have, it's rough. The fact that they spent nearly their whole lives with only each other to count on, that makes a real bond between two people. I hope that given time he'll manage to move on, but he won't be okay for awhile."

Sakura sighed. "Well, I hope we can be the shoulders he needs to lean on."

Tristan gazed at the RV, seeing Connor, Ryan, Rachel,and Ella all comforting Alec. "What he needs now is a family. Thankfully, he has one."

That was hard to write. Review, tell me what you thought. Until next time, Death out.


	24. Coping and Drinking

Hello readers. A tad more light hearted chapter than the last, but still with a twinge of sadness. Enjoy.

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Dani was making sure Tyson hadn't sustained any injuries, and right in front of the group to his embarrassment. Alec had requested to be left alone in the mustang.

Tristan was ensuring everyone had gotten their weapons back. Ryan was helping Ella repair her car, it had taken some heavy damage in the explosion.

James was the last one Tristan came too. "What all did you have?" He asked.

James counted in his head. "An ax, a belt full of throwing knives, four daggers, one for each limb, and a longer dagger for my belt. A wakizashi, and… a double edged dagger."

Tristan handed him each weapon, turning to Aaron who had absentmindedly been following him. "Very thorough, Aaron. Good job, everyone got all their gear back."

Aaron shrugged. "Least I could do, I haven't been very helpful lately."

He was right, but Tristan decided to comfort him. "Not true. You've been very helpful."

He raised an eyebrow. "How?"

Tristan opened his mouth, then closed it. "Just trying to make you feel better. You did do good, though." He said after a minute, turning away to make sure everyone was ready to go. Aaron scowled, but turned to James. "How's your nose?"

Rachel had snapped it back into place and given him some cotton to soak up the blood. "Fine. I was hoping to be able to off the prick myself, but I think it's fitting that Alec got to avenge Natalie."

Aaron nodded, looking at the mustang. "Think he'll be okay?"

James stared at Alec through the tinted windows. "I don't know. Im'm going to talk to him."

Aaron started to protest as he got up. "He said he wanted to be alone."

"He has been alone. And I know what he's going through, I think I can help." James said, dismissively.

He approached the mustang, staring inside at the oblivious Alec for a moment. He was slouched over, eyes red and puffy, a pile of used napkins-turned-tissues on the ground at his feet. He sighed as he opened the passenger door. Alec barely granted him a glance. "I want to be alone."

James sat down next to him. "I understand. But being alone is one of the worst things you can do right now."

Alec scoffed. "Since when are you a psychiatrist."

James ignored his comment. "Alec, I know what you're going through."

Alec glared at him. "Really? Have _you_ lost your only sister recently?"

"Not recently, but I have." He replied.

The glare dropped from his face, replaced by regret for his comment. "Y-You have?"

James nodded. "When the apocalypse hit, I raced home. Everyone in my family was dead, and I assumed she was too. Then, two years later, I found her. Alive. Can you imagine going two years thinking your family was dead, and then finding out they were alive? It's like… an awakening. I felt alive when I was dead for so long."

Alec stared at him, captivated. "It sounds like heaven."

James stared out the window. "Not an hour later she was ripped away from me. We were escorting a family to a town, when a horde attacked. She was bitten. I had to put her down."

Alec's mouth dropped. "James…"

A tear fell from James's eye. "Alec, I didn't have the choice of whether or not I wanted to be alone. I _was_ alone. For three more years, I was alone. With only my thoughts for company, I wallowed in my pain." He looked Alec in the eye. "It would made things so much easier if I had someone to talk to. A family. Alec, you have an entire group of people willing to be with you, to help you through this. I would have given anything for the opportunity you have here. Don't pass it up. Be with your family."

Alec processed his words, and sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll… I'll come be with everyone."

James smiled. "You're never alone with these people, Alec. Be grateful you have friends." With that, he opened the door and got out of the car, Alec following him to the group preparing to leave.

Tristan and Sakura walked up to Dani, who was now satisfied with Tyson's health. "So." Tristan said. "Dani and Tyson, right?"

Dani nodded as Tyson shyly moved behind her. "Yeah." She looked angry with herself. "Listen, I am so, so sorry I helped him try to kill you."

Sakura smiled. "No hard feelings. The coward lied to a lot of people."

Amber walked up. "Everyone's ready to go. Are they coming with us?" The three of them looked at Dani and Tyson questioningly.

Dani thought for a moment, then nodded. "If you can give us a ride, yeah. We have a car full of supplies that we left behind when Wade saved us from the horde, and we'd appreciate a lift back."

Tristan nodded, and turned to Sakura. "I'm going to talk to Michael, see if he wants to join us too."

As Sakura walked the two newcomers to the RV, Tristan called over Michael, who had been watching Ryan finish repairing Ella's Impala.

"Alright, we're heading out. You really helped with finding Wade, so if you want, you can come with us. Or, if all you want is a ride back to your dumpster, we can do that too." He said, winking to show that he was joking.

Mike grinned. "I'd love to go with you! Thanks so much!"

Tristan returned the grin, leading him to the RV. When they got inside, Sakura was already in the driver's seat. Mike joined Tyson in gazing in awe at the interior of the homey vehicle. Tristan closed the door, hopped in next to Sakura, and switched on the radio, hooking up his iPod to play "Bad to the Bone" as they started on their way.

Tyson gasped. "You have a working Xbox 360?!" He cried, looking through the games, Michael joining him.

Tristan grinned. "Sure do. And anyone who touches it gets their hands cut off." They whipped their hands back. "I'm kidding. But if you do play use the guest profile. I want my achievements to be my own."

Mike switched it on. "How do you get it to work? You need wi-fi, an internet connection…"

"A dude in a town I traded with whipped me up my own personal wi-fi thingamajigger in exchange for a carton of cigarettes I found in a store. He even taught me how to keep it in good condition, how to fix it and such. Also good for watching Netflix so I can get my TV. I have movies in the drawer below the games."

They opened it, and gasped. Mike pulled out Terminator 2. "I _love_ this movie!"

Amber walked out of the bathroom, and Mike and Tyson's jaws simultaneously dropped. "So, Tristan, where are we headed now?"

"After we drop off Dani and Tyson, we're heading West." He answered, setting his feet up on the dashboard to have them swatted down by Sakura.

Tyson sat on the couch with Dani. "Can we please stay?" He whispered.

"Why, so you can play Xbox and watch movies? We don't know a thing about these people." She whispered back.

Tyson glanced at Amber as she passed by to join Tristan and Sakura. "That's… not the only thing."

Dani looked at Amber, and grinned. "Do you have a crush?" She teased, poking Tyson who was red faced. She glanced at Mike, who wasn't hiding his staring. "I think you'd have some competition."

Tyson scratched his brown mop of hair. "C'mon, Dani. Wouldn't you think it'd be nice to be part of a group? And they seem like nice people, the guy dressed like Indiana Jones is cool, and the redhaired chick is nice too. And I haven't really been around anyone else my age."

Dani looked at the driver's couch, where Tristan and Sakura were laughing at something Amber had said. Tyson was right, these people seemed nice. "Maybe… we can ask when we get the car back."

Tyson grinned at this. "I think it would be a really good idea." he commented, as he turned to look at the Xbox loading screen. "Tristan, are you Death546?"

"Yeah." Came his response. "Why?"

"Your avatar is cool!" He said, staring at the Daedric armored figure. "So, what's your favorite game?"

Tristan hopped the couch and walked over. "That's like asking Sorano who her favorite daughter is." He replied. He reached into the drawer. "I have many favorites. My favorite zombie game is…"

"Woah woah woah, hold up." Amber said, narrowing her eyes. "You seriously play zombie games? With all the shit going on?"

He held his hands up in defense. "What, just because the apocalypse hit means I can't appreciate a good game? If aliens attacked and killed millions of humans it wouldn't change the quality of Independence Day, if genetically perfect creatures used our corpses for breeding and killing, it wouldn't make the Alien series a bad set of movies. If a nuclear holocaust occurred, throwing the Earth into a radiated wasteland, Fallout would still be awesome. Dead Space and Resident Evil are masterpieces."

Amber put her hands on her hips, staring at him. "I… suppose you're right. But doesn't it bother you in the slightest?"

"Are you kidding? If anything it adds to the fear." Tristan replied, grinning. He turned back to Tyson. "Anyway, my favorite zombie game is Dead Space. My favorite shooter is Battlefield 4, my favorite RPG is Skyrim, my favorite stealth game is Metal Gear, my favorite combat arena game is Mortal Kombat 9 and 10. I love God of War, the Deadpool game, Mass Effect. Point is, I like a lot of games."

Sakura slowed the RV. "We're here. That your car over there? The blue Chevy pickup?"

"Yeah, that's it. I really appreciate this, thank you." She said, shaking Tristan's hand as she led the reluctant Tyson out of the RV.

Tristan smiled as he took notice of Tyson and Dani's non verbal exchange. "You know, if you guys want to stay, you're more than welcome to. So long as you pull your own weight and don't act like a jackass."

Tyson looked pleadingly at his sister, and she sighed. "Alright, fine. We'll give it a shot." She turned to Tristan as Tyson gave a small whoop. "Thank you."

His smile grew. "Of course. Start up your car, and follow us."

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John led the convoy in the APC, and stopped outside a Walmart. Everyone loaded out, and gathered around John and Tristan. John spoke. "Tristan, Amber, and Mike will stay out here to guard. This is a fairly large store, so we'll split into groups to scavenge as quickly as possible. Look everywhere, we're seriously low on everything besides ammunition. Aaron, James, you're with me, we're searching the back. The rest of you split up however you want, just do it fast." He gestured to the entrance, and Aaron jogged to keep up with him and James.

Sakura took Sorano and Grant with her, Ryan took Alec's shoulder and led him with Jaina, Rachel, and Connor. Liz took the kids with Dani, Tyson, and Ella.

Tristan leaned against the wall as Amber paced in the parking lot. He glanced sideways at Mike, grinning as he shamelessly stared at her. "Seems like you've found a perk to joining us." He teased, causing Mike's cheeks to turn red.

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Aaron followed the two men with a grocery cart as they pushed aside the double doors that led to the back. He lowered his head as they stood back to back to search the area for the undead.

He breathed a sigh of relief when they lowered their guns. "So it's clear?"

John nodded. "Start searching, I'll stand guard."

Aaron moved down the shelves, looking for anything useful. He scowled as James followed behind him, tossing things in the cart that he had ignored. "It would go faster if we went separate ways."

"True, but considering the fact that you're passing by all these supplies, we'd get more if I did follow you." He retorted, tossing in a can Aaron had walked by.

Aaron refused to reply, sitting in angry silence. James sighed as he passed by a bag of sugar, thrown in by himself. "Okay, I have to ask. Why are you so pissed off all the time? I have yet to see you laugh or crack a smile. Even John isn't as much of a hardass as you."

Aaron gritted his teeth. "I get annoyed easily."

James frowned. "That's not it. You're an angry guy, there has to be a reason."

Aaron whirled on him. "You're right. There is a reason. I had a pretty good life up until a few weeks ago. I was in a great town since Z-Day. Good people, good food, great walls. I was safe and content. I had a girl that I really liked that I was going to ask out. Then I decide to tag along on a supply run, and I get thrust into this shitstorm all you people are somehow okay with. Danger everywhere, running into fucked up people left and right, can't catch a goddamned break! My life has been turned completely upside down, and on top of all that, I have to put up with irritating people like you and Tristan and those stupid dogs. So yeah, I'm a bit irritable. Sue me."

James scowled. "You need a reality check. This is real life that you're calling a shitstorm. This is the way the world is now. And you may think we're annoying, but you're pretty damn lucky you were with Sakura and Tristan when your town went up in flames. They're good people, just like everyone else in this group. Getting used to luxuries like what you had is dangerous. So suck it up, and for God's sake stop leaving all these supplies!" he said, grabbing a bag of jerky and throwing it in the cart. "Look, your old life is gone. This is your new one, and if you ever want to be happy, you'll realize that, and try to make the best of what you have." He didn't give the stunned Aaron a chance to retort, taking the cart from him to get the supplies himself.

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Alec dragged himself behind the other as they moved through the clothing section. Ryan took out a list Tristan had given him. "Tristan requested medium boxers, some clothes for the kids, dark blue Jeans, preferably Wrangler or Carhartt, and any geek shirts we can find in his size." He read. "Sakura wants some new crop tops, and Amber wants some…"

His face reddened, Jaina looked over his shoulder and laughed. "Rachel and I can get those. We'll get Alice's clothes too, along with Liz and Ella's." She looked at Alec. "Anything you need?"

He was staring at a brown leather jacket. Connor moved to him, taking it off the hanger and wrapping it around his shoulders. "It uh… it suits you." he said, smiling. Alec felt the leather, it was soft and smooth. Connor looked at the label. "Ooh, lambskin. Nice, you found a good jacket!" He said. Alec said nothing, and Connor raised his arm to slip the sleeve over him. Ryan and the others left to go get what they needed to find as he slipped Alec's other arm in the other sleeve. He admired Alec from behind, his eyes grazing over every inch of his body. "It really does look good on you Alec."

His eyes snapped up as Alec turned to face him smiling. "Thanks." He said, feeling the sleeves. "It does, doesn't it?"

Connor grinned. "Yeah, it does. C'mon, let's help the others."

As he led Alec to go find Tristan's jeans, Ryan looked through the boxers. The guys had all given their sizes, Aaron had, while red in the face, requested briefs along with David. He selected his own size, throwing them in the cart Jaina was pushing. His face reddened slightly when he grabbed a pair in Jaina's size, and handed them to her.

"Thanks." She said. "I hate women's underwear, it's always so lacy and tight."

Ryan laughed at that, rising with the two packages of briefs he had to get, tossing them in the cart. He spotted a Star Trek shirt, looked at the sizes, and took one to throw in the cart for Tristan, taking a second one for himself and one for James. "So." He said, his voice turning a little somber. "Think we can avoid running into anymore psychopaths, crazy doctors or murderers?"

Jaina sighed. "I hope to God we can. I'm getting pretty fucking tired of all the shit we've been going through." Her face matched her words. She hadn't had much sleep since they had been captured by Marlo, and that was over a week ago. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles, and had a hollow look to them.

He made a sympathetic face. "You should try taking some of the melatonin we have in the medicine. You and Ella both, she hasn't been sleeping much either."

Jaina shook her head. "I don't need it. We're running seriously low on medicine, we need to save it for anyone who truly needs it."

"Melatonin is meant for helping sleep. That's all. It's not going to do shit in an emergency." He persuaded. "The exact purpose of it is available, you and Ella need to use it to be in your best condition."

Jaina, glanced at him, then breathed a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll take one."

He smiled. "Good. You need to be your best, Jaina."

She smirked. "Yeah, someone should pick up your slack, huh?" She laughed as his smile turned to a scowl. "Oh, lighten up." She said, playfully punching his shoulder. He forced a grin, then as she moved ahead his face turned to pain as he rubbed his shoulder.

She, unfortunately, had noticed. "Tristan and I should put you through boot camp." She said, laughing again at his paling face. "It'd toughen you up, buttercup." She said after she finished, smirking as she moved ahead to finish the shopping.

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Sakura and Ella's group ended up together as they looked through the food section. Grant and Sakura had already gone to the sports and hunting section, finding fishing supplies and to their delight a stash of ammunition.

Sorano walked behind the group with Liz. "So you were a teacher before everything?" She asked.

Liz nodded. "I was an elementary school teacher. I adore working with children, so I'm delighted that I get to make sure Alice and David recieve a proper… well, not proper, the requirements for a healthy education are hardly available right now… but at least a good education." She turned to Sorano. "I'm sorry, I've talked a lot about myself. What did you do?"

"I was employed at a bank. I was one of the people you talk to when you want to manage your account, or get a new card, or pretty much anything people needed. Thankfully I made enough to pay for a part time nanny, between Sakura and Amber and no husband to help, I didn't have a lot of time for family sadly." She said.

Liz smiled. "Well, you did pretty well raising them. Sakura and Amber seem like very excellent women." Sorano smiled at the compliment. "So, I have to ask, Sakura sounds like a name closer to your-for lack of a better word-heritage than Amber. Why did you name them so differently?"

"My ex-husband and I had an agreement, I would name our first child, and he would name our second. He was holding out for a boy to name him after himself, I think." She answered.

As they talked, Grant picked up a heavy jug of milk. He slightly untwisted the cap, retched at the sudden rancid smell, and immediately screwed it back on. "Dear God, that's awful." He gasped, Alice giggling. He smiled mischievously at her. "You want a whiff?" He burst out laughing as she rapidly shook her head, running away.

Sakura smiled, picking up a bag of some kind of whole grain chips. "Think there's any chance these are still good?" She asked, turning to Ella.

She looked at the bag. "I doubt it. Those aren't like potato chips, they're supposed to be free of preservatives."

"Yeah, but these are _whole grain_." She said, shaking the bag.

Ella raised her eyebrow. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Sakura tossed the bag away. "I dunno. Any luck kiddies?"

David was rooting through the frozen meats. "This chicken is squishy."

Sakura rolled her eyes, going over and pulling him away. "Dairy and meats are never going to be good, David. You need to look for dry goods, cans and bottles."

Alice came around the corner. "I found chips!"

As they went to follow her, Ella whispered to Sakura. "Let's hope they're not whole grain. Those taste gross anyway."

"It's food. Don't complain." She said, smiling as they started loading up the potato chip bags. "Lays. We can double these as airbags." She joked, drawing laughs from everyone except the two confused children.

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Sakura exited the store with her basket in hand. She panicked when Tristan and Diego were nowhere to be seen. "Amber, where'd they go?"

Amber glanced at her. "Tristan saw a spirits store and said he wanted to check it out."

Grant had come out. "He left guard duty to go get alcohol?"

Amber smiled. "It was quiet, Diego didn't smell any zombies in the area, it's right over there. And Mike and I can handle guard duty."

Sakura pursed her lips, when they heard clinking. They turned to see Tristan pushing a grocery cart full of bottles, Diego beside him. "Can you believe people left an entire aisle of perfectly good wine in there?! Whiskey, bourbon, tequila, beer, all gone, but the idiots left all this behind! Who does that?"

John had walked out with James and Aaron behind him. "You're a wine guy?"

"Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a good bottle of Jack Daniels. But dear God, a glass full of red wine? That's the good stuff." He said, grinning as he reached them. He pulled out a black bottle with what looked like a single claw mark across the label. "This was my parents' favorite wine. Carnivore red wine, it's good stuff. An entire damn shelf, I'm telling you!" He yanked off the top, smelling it, smiling. "Whenever I came home when I was on leave, the three of us would celebrate my homecoming with a bottle of this."

Sakura smiled. "I've never had it, it's that good?"

Tristan looked at her and started to hand her the bottle, then pulled it back. "Actually, why don't we crack a couple of these open tonight? I'd prefer to get drunk when it's not the middle of the day and there's no zombies about."

"I'm good, I was never a fan of wine. I prefer a cold beer." James said.

Tristan cringed. "I can't drink that stuff, I feel gross after I drink it." Tristan reached into the bottom of the cart. "Though, there was a pack of it in the back. Figured some of you guys would like it." He pulled out the box, and handed it to an excited James.

He opened it and pulled out a bottle. "God, I haven't had one of these in five years."

Sakura looked at the cart full of wine. "You don't think that's a bit much?"

"We have quite a few adults in our group, I imagine we'll go through it fairly quickly. Plus, this stuff is good for trading at towns. You wouldn't believe what people will give you for a full bottle of alcohol." Tristan said, pushing the cart towards the RV. "So, what did you guys find?"

Aaron reached into his cart. "Some soup cans, a pack of jerky, and a couple bags of flour and sugar were all I found food wise."

Sakura pushed her cart forward for him to see. "We found fishing bait and poles and hooks, along with some board games. We also found potato chips."

Tristan picked up a bag, grinning. "Lays. We can double these as…"

"Airbags, yeah. Sakura already made that joke." Ella said as she walked past. She smiled. "Still funny though."

Tristan smiled, replacing the bag in the cart. He looked at the store, then his eyes went wide. "I just had an idea. Wait here, I'll be back in a second." He ran into the store as the others made their way back to the vehicles, Sakura waiting for him.

She laughed when he walked out dragging a rack of bikes with him. "What are those for?" She asked when she calmed down.

He pulled out two small ones, one white with purple flowers and peace signs, the other one black with red skulls and bones. "The kids are nine, they were in the bunker for five years, so that made them four years old when Z-Day came. That's not old enough to learn to ride bikes, and I highly doubt they rode bikes down there. It wasn't exactly spacious. So I thought to myself, 'Hey, why don't I get them both bikes and teach them? It's a valuable skill.'" He explained, grinning. He pulled out another black one, larger and with a silver dragon design. "Maybe I could ride with them, I lucked out on finding this one. Kinda matches my katana. If you want to get one, there's still three left." He said, pushing the bikes along with his wine cart towards the RV. She looked at the rack, and selected a red bike with a gold flowing design, and followed him to the RV. As they walked, he reached into a bag he had grabbed while he was in the store. "By the way, I got something for you." Her face lit up when he pulled out a leather jacket. "Polyester lining, cowhide, like mine. You said you liked my jacket when you wore it in that lab we were held in."

She grinned as he handed it to her, slipping it on. "I love it, thanks!"

He grinned along with her. "You'll be a hell of a lot warmer. Leather is great insulation."

Her grin turned to a soft smile. "You're sweet. Thank you."

He nodded. "Anytime."

They made it back to the RV, and Ryan eyed the alcohol. "Where'd you find all that?"

"Spirits store just down the street. Here, take some beers." he said, handing Ryan the box. Ryan looked down at the label, and he went a little pale. "Ah, Tristan? I don't think…"

They heard a scream, and they all turned to see Rachel pull out her gun… and aim it at Ryan.

John was behind her, and grabbed her arm as she fired. He twisted the gun out of her hand, moving to restrain her, when Ryan pushed him away, hugging Rachel as she stared wild eyed at the beer box. "It's just me… It's just me… It's just me…" He chanted in her ear. He motioned for Tristan to get the beer out of there, and he did, tossing the box into a nearby bush. They all stared in stunned silence, until Ryan glared at them, silently telling them to give him and Rachel some privacy.

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Rachel waited in the mustang while everyone silently loaded up the supplies. Tristan pulled Ryan aside. "Okay, so two things. One, I'd like to know now if it's just beer that sets her off, or do I need to dump the wine? Not being selfish, I figured after all the shit we've gone through everyone would appreciate a night where we could just have fun and drink."

Ryan shook his head. "No, wine and everything is fine. Beer makes her uneasy, you unfortunately picked up the brand she hates most of all."

Tristan nodded. "Alright. Second, I'll only ask once. I don't understand what the hell just happened, but I'm guessing it's happened before, and that's your business. As your friend, as someone who genuinely is worried for the two of you: Do you want to talk about it? If you say no, I'll tell the other's it's no big deal, that it's personal."

Ryan looked him in the eye. "I appreciate it. Really, I do. But no. You're right, it's very, very personal, something I'm not willing to share with anyone."

Tristan clapped him on the back. "Alright, I understand. Go get ready to leave, we're moving on." He left to help, and Ryan sighed, walking back to the mustang.

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That night, they set up camp in a Lowe's. John and James went through the store with Ryan to gather tools and materials, and he was like a child opening presents on his birthday. After they returned, loading up all the materials in Wade's prison truck, which they had decided to claim for themselves.

Once all the defenses were up, Tristan brought out the drinks. "Alright, we have a lot of wine, and fifteen adults."

"Sixteen." Michael corrected.

"You're nineteen. Not old enough to drink." Grant interjected. Just because the apocalypse hit, didn't change the fact that he was an officer of the law.

"Let the guy have a drink. Who cares." James said in his defense.

"Hang on, if he gets one I should two. I'm only two years younger than him." Amber said, crossing her arms.

"Absolutely not." Sorano said sternly. "I'm already displeased about Sakura drinking, but I can stop you."

Aaron spoke up. "Look, how about we look at the fact that there's a reason behind the 21 year requirement. Young minds keep developing until they're 21, drinking can damage you."

"What, they're not already damaged?" Tristan said. He sighed. "You're right, though. Look, you guys would hate the hangover anyway. The first one is always the worst one."

Connor leaned in to whisper in his ear. "That's not accurate at all. Hangovers don't have anything to do with…"

"Shut up." Tristan said, pushing him away. "You guys can hang out with us, but you're not getting any drinks from me." He said, looking at the pouting young members of the group. "Pouting like that isn't helping your case."

Mike rolled his eyes. "I've been around drunk people before, I'm pretty sure it's only pleasant when you're also drunk. I'm going to bed."

Amber stretched her arms. "Yeah, I am too. Good night everyone." She kissed her mother on the cheek and hugged Sakura, heading for the RV, Mike going to the APC, and Tyson going to the Chevy.

Alice and David stayed seated next to Tristan as he took out bottles of Carnivore. Rachel passed it up, saying she felt sick and heading for the mustang, Ryan following. Sorano and Elizabeth both said they weren't fond of alcohol, and also retired for bed.

Tristan had out five bottles. "James, since you don't like wine, you're the designated guard. These bottles have a lot in them, so I think to be safe we should split five of them among the ten of us."

"Sounds fair. How do we do it?" Sakura asked, itching to get a bottle. She had only ever drank twice in her life, one was a beer in college and the other was half a bottle of rum she and some of the survivors in her old town had shared.

"We'll each share with someone else. John, Jaina, you two take this." He tossed them a bottle. "Connor and Alec." another bottle. "Aaron and Grant, Ella and Dani." he handed them their bottles. "Sakura, you're with me. Bottoms up, people!"

They all raised the drinks, and took out the corks. Tristan offered Sakura the first sip and she held up her hand. "You go. This wine brand is special to you, right? Go ahead."

He smiled gratefully, and took a swig, groaning as he handed her the bottle. "Sweet Jesus, I missed that."

Sakura raised the bottle to her lips, relishing the sweet flavor of the drink as it washed down her throat. "Oh my God, I can see why you love this."

John took a sip, handing the bottle to Jaina. She gratefully drank, handing it back to him.

Aaron took a long drink, Grant taking the bottle after he had gotten a fourth of the way through for a sip of his own.

Connor took the first drink of his and Alec's, and watched as Alec downed several mouthfuls of the drink. "Easy, Alec. Enjoy it."

Alec grimaced, taking another sip. "I'm trying to get a buzz fast, Connor." He said, handing Connor the drink.

Connor looked worried. "You're going to give yourself a hell of a lot more than a buzz, buddy." He said, taking a sip. Alec was oblivious to his comment as he took another drink.

While he made sure Alec didn't drink too fast and Grant fought to get his own drink while Aaron gulped down the wine, Ella and Dani took turns sipping. Dani caught James watching. "James, if you want a sip just ask."

He pursed his lips, then shrugged. "Why not." He took the offered bottle and took a short swig, then groaned. "I don't know what the hell I was drinking before, but that's actually pretty damn good."

Ella grinned. "Come sit with us."

He gratefully accepted their offer. Ella watched as Sakura and Tristan started laughing, apparently for no reason whatsoever. They looked at each other, then burst out laughing. Ella glanced at their bottle, they were already a third of the way done.

Soon, everyone was singing. Almost everyone. Even buzzed John stayed silent, though he was laughing, actually laughing. Aside from him, Alec was the only silent one. And he wasn't even cracking a smile.

Connor glanced at him as he struggled to his feet and made his way to the Prison truck where he was sleeping tonight. He got up from the circle and followed him.

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Alec was laying on the sleeping bag when Alec hooped up into the back with him. "Just leave me alone." He moaned.

Connor laid next to him. "I thought James talked to you about this?"

"He did." Alec responded. "But right now they're all making me sick." He turned to face Connor. "Natalie is dead. Gone. Wiped off the face of the Earth. She was violated and murdered, and they're out there laughing and drinking and singing. They've moved on, and her grave isn't even a day old."

Connor sighed. "We haven't forgotten about her, Alec. I guarantee you she's still fresh in everybody's minds. This is our way of coping. By trying to move on."

"I get that, but she just died yesterday! Can't anyone see that?!" he said. "It's not doing her memory justice."

Connor nodded. "I understand. And your feelings are completely justified. But don't hate them Alec."

Alec sighed. "It's not them I hate, it's myself."

Connor sat up at this. "Why?"

"Connor, all our lives the two of us lived in poverty. Nothing I did mattered, nothing changed the fact that she would go days without a proper meal, that we couldn't live decently, that we were criminals. I was her big brother. It was my responsibility to take care of her. I thought that when the apocalypse hit, maybe we could try to live better. At least now we wouldn't have to run from the law. But I still failed. I stole from the towns we stayed in, getting ourselves kicked out. I let her get captured, which led to her being… God, I can't even say it. And then… then I couldn't even save her from Death. I failed as a brother, Connor. I always have." Alec buried his face in his hands. "I'm a failure."

"No." Connor retorted. "Alec, you kept her alive all these years. You said your father was a junkie, so she relied solely on you. And you delivered to the best of your ability. You kept her fed and sheltered in the old world, and you kept her protected and alive in the apocalypse. And when her final hour came, she made her own decision. You couldn't have stopped her, Alec. None of us could."

Alec stared at Connor, tears in his eyes. "Thank you." He said.

Connor nodded, laying back down. "Get some sleep, Alec. You'll feel better in the morning." He glanced at the empty wine bottle. "Well, maybe not in the morning, but probably later in the day."

Alec nodded, closing his eyes. He let out a breath, and noticed that it was visible. "Fall is here." He observed. "I just realized I'm freezing."

Connor nudged closer to Alec, pulling the truck door shut with his foot. "It'll warm up." He said. "Goodnight, Alec."

"Goodnight, Connor. Thanks for being my friend."

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The next morning, Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She groaned, trying to raise a hand to her head, when she realized she was laying on Tristan. She sat up, looking around. They had wandered into the RV at some point, and laid down on the couch. Tristan was passed out, the TV had the menu of Terminator 3 on it. She got up, and wandered outside. She was grateful for the leather jacket Tristan had found, it was freezing. Jaiana was already outside, and she had a finger to her grinning lips, pointing at John. Sakura grinned at the sight of Ella leaning against John, both passed out under a blanket.

Jaina made her way over. "After you and Tristan went inside to watch your movie, Ella started getting cold. John had gotten a blanket, and invited her to share it. They both passed out after a few minutes."

Sakura smiled. "That's adorable." She rubbed her head. "God, my head is pounding."

Jaina shrugged. "You get used to it. Hey, did you see where Alec and Connor went? I faintly remember them wandering off at some point last night."

Sakura moved for the prison truck to go over the supplies. "Dunno. Maybe they finally hooked u… Oh my God." Jaina ran over as she opened the back door. Connor and Alec were sleeping next to each other, their clothes gone and thrown in the corner. "Holy shit, they did."

Jaina held back a laugh. "Well, I guess it's about time." She looked at Sakura. "So, who's going to wake them up?"

Sakura started backing away. "You do it, I wanna watch."

Jaina grinned, crawling in and grabbing their clothes. She poked them, and slowly they started to rise. They rubbed their eyes, looked at the clothes in Jaina's arms, looked at eachother. It took a minute before their eyes widened. Jaina tossed the clothes at their heads. "You two, get dressed. We need to start packing." With that, she smirked and closed the doors. Almost immediately they heard frantic whispering on the other side.

As Jaina moved to start waking everyone else up, Sakura pouted. "I wanted to watch."

"Better to give them some privacy. Come on, help me wake up John and Ella."

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Alec and Connor eventually joined the others, both red in the face. They started to walk past the RV when Tristan came out. He glanced at them, noticed their red faces, and his eyes lit up. "You two hooked up, didn't you!" He asked, gleefully. "About damn time, the sexual tension was thick enough to cut."

Sakura jabbed him in the side as they scowled and headed in different directions. "Yes, they did. And they're kind of embarrassed about it. So tone it down."

Tristan shrugged. "Sure thing." He continued on, passing out breakfast to everybody.

As they started up the vehicles and started to drive, John's voice came over the walkies. "Where to?"

"Wherever the road takes us." Tristan answered, leading the convoy.

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They drove out of the town, and continued down the highway. They rounded a corner, and they all gasped at the sight in front of them.

A large mansion, surrounded by a thick wall and nearly three hundred people walking around. They pulled up to the front gate, and a man flanked by two guards walked out to greet them. They got out of the vehicles, and the man walked up. He had a warm smile on his tanned face, bright emerald eyes topped by wavy black hair. "Welcome. My name is Jarod, how many we help you?"

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	25. A Paradise in Hell

Goooooooooooood morning people reading this in the morning! Goooooooooooood afternoon people reading this in the afternoon! Goooooooooooood evening people reading this in the evening! And goooooooooooood night people up late reading this fabulous story! Time for a new chapter, Enjoy.

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Tristan walked up to the smiling man. "Hey there." He greeted.

Jarod stuck out his hand, and Tristan hesitantly shook it. He noticed. "I understand if you're uneased by the warm welcome. I realize there's a lot of bad things out here." He said. "But, back to my question. What can we do for you?"

John cut straight to the point. "Your blockade across the highway is… well, blocking us. We need to move past."

Jarod nodded, turning to his guards. "Clear a path for them, would you kindly?" he said. The guard moved to comply. Jarod turned to them. "It will be a minute, but you can move on. Is that all?" He asked.

Tristan nodded as the rest of the group came out. "Yeah. We just want to move on our way."

Jarod's eyes fell on the group, and he softened his gaze. "Are you sure you don't want food? Baths?"

 _Baths?_ They thought simultaneously. Then it struck them. Jarod, along with the other people here, was _clean_. Not that the others were necessarily dirty, but his skin was scrubbed, no grime or bruises or bloodstains on his clothes. It was the same with everyone else. A stark contrast was the group, blood stained shirts and pants, grimy faces, patches of clean skin around their wounds where they had been disinfected. Dirt in their fingernails and mud on the soles of their shoes.

Sorano had walked up. "I'm sorry, did you say baths?"

Jarod nodded, smiling. "Yes. We've set up a water heater, and the man who owned this mansion had an astounding number of bathrooms. He used it as a hotel of sorts. He…"

Tristan held his hand up. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude and interrupt, but you're telling me you have _hot_ water?"

A woman carrying a plate walked up. "I know it's hard to believe, my kids and I just found this place a month ago. It's amazing, being able to take hot baths again."

Ella, Rachel, and Liz had been captured by longing. "Tristan, we could stay to take a bath, right? There's no harm."

Alice had walked up with David. "I wanna take a bath!" Alice announced.

Tristan gazed around them. The walls were thick, but beyond Jarod people moved around the spacious yard like they were on vacation. Outside, the guards were attentive, but relaxed at the same time. The defenses were impeccable, on par with Marlo's military compound. He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think…"

"I'm going to take you up on your offer." Rachel interrupted, moving past Jarod to explore the settlement. Liz followed, along with an eager Aaron, followed by Ryan, Connor, and Alec, both of whom were avoiding looking eachother in the eye.

John exchanged a glance with Tristan, who shrugged, as if to say, Why not. _We'll leave right after. Nothing we can't handle._

With that, they followed Jarod beyond the gate.

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The courtyard was out of a fairytale. People were trimming the bushes, watering and planting flowers, children were playing in a fountain. The grass was a lush green and looked and smelled freshly mowed. Rose bushes ran along the main path, red, pink, and white blossoms covering them.

Alice was running around with David. "It's so pretty!" She exclaimed.

Tristan jogged to walk side by side with Jarod, who gave him a questioning look. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. Jarod stared blankly at him. "Just letting us in? You just met us, and you're letting us into your town without removing our weapons, letting us around your kids."

"Just because you don't see our precautions, doesn't mean they're not there. For all you know there's fifty sniper rifles trained on your head at this moment. Besides, I find that if you're trusting and kind to people, they're less likely to do something stupid. Warm welcomes have earned the trust of hardened men here. My second in command was actually going to try and take some of our supplies, but I welcomed him and gave him hot meals and shelter. Now he is my loyal friend." He answered, smiling again.

Tristan seemed to accept his answer. He turned to watch Alice take a rose from one of the bushes and run over to him to offer it to him. He smiled and took it, earning a grin from Alice as she ran to explore some more.

They reached the front door, and Jarod turned to face the group. "Here's how things work around here. We try to act as a safe haven for any wanderers. People are free to come and go as they choose, and they are free to enjoy our luxuries. Every sunday our cook makes a feast for the entirety of people who are here at the time. Every other night, he'll whip something up for people to eat as they see fit. The only rules are as follows. We do take security seriously, so when a guard instructs you to do something, you are required to comply. There is an area of the manor that is off limits to any visitors. Only staff are allowed in those halls. And lastly, you are not to break any laws. We try to keep the values of the old world at heart here, so theft, assault, trespassing, and needless to say murder will result in severe consequences."

"Understandable." John commented. "What's in the forbidden area?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be as forbidden, now would it?" He answered, smiling. "It's mostly storage for our weapons and food, along with our chef's personal kitchen. He prefers isolation when he cooks, so he set up an area there. It also houses the living quarters for the staff. But everywhere else is free access. The garden, the open living quarters, the bathrooms, the dining hall, etcetera etcetera. Any halls leading to the off limits area will be marked, so you don't need to worry about accidentally wandering in."

Ella plucked a white rose from the bush, smelling it. "This place seems like a paradise." She said.

Jarod smiled sadly as they reached the front door. "If only. We do have our downfalls. We're able to hold off small hordes of zombies, but if a large one or a tank comes by we barely manage to hold them off. A tank came by last month and killed thirteen people. And there's a group of bandits that keep terrorizing us to the east. We haven't been able to get close to their camp to retaliate."

As he opened the door, everyone oohed. The front hall was gorgeous, a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Gilded stairs and huge portraits and paintings lined the walls. And the dining hall was in view, huge with four tables facing a large table at the head of the room. James grinned at this. "Looks like the great hall at Hogwarts."

Jarod laughed. "A lot of people have made that comparison. A group of kids for a prank made banners that I assume are from the movies to hang at the tables."

"Red and gold lion, blue and bronze raven, green and silver snake, and black and yellow badger?" Tristan asked.

"Yes. I never was a fan of fantasy, so I'm not totally familiar with Harry Potter. I was always a fan of realistic fiction myself." Jarod said as he led them down a hall.

Tristan walked beside him. "That's a shame. There's a lot of great sgtories out there. Me, I like pretty much any fiction. You like realistic fiction, like murder mysteries and such?"

"Exactly. There was an excellent crime show in the old world that I loved. CSI."

Ryan grinned. "That show was awesome."

"There was a show about a serial killer who targeted other serial characters that my Dad and I watched together. It was called Dexter." Tristan said as they turned down a hall lined with doors.

"I heard of that, never saw it." Jarod said as he stopped in front of a door and pulled out a key. "These are the living quarters. Each room has a key, this one is currently unused so I can show you what it looks like."

"There's a lot of bedrooms here for a mansion." Connor said.

"The man who owned this residence used it as a vacation spot to make his money. It was basically a very fancy bed and breakfast." Jarod explained as he opened the door and led them inside. "Each room has two beds that can have two people sleep comfortably on them, a bathroom, and a walk in closet. There's some old TVs in each room that some people manage to get working to watch movies. Unfortunately the tubs in the bathrooms don't have hot water, we save that for our community baths and showers."

Rachel ran her hand along the mattress of one of the beds. "It's so soft. It'll be an awesome change from old couches and car seats."

Tristan put on a mock offended expression. " _Excuse_ me, but I find my couches to be _extremely_ comfortable."

Sakura plopped down on one of the beds. "Then _you_ can sleep in the RV. One more bed for the rest of us." She teased.

Jarod grinned. "Speaking of which, if you give me your keys I can have one of my guards move your cars to our parking area. Or," he added as Ryan opened his mouth. "If you'd rather move your own car once the tour is done I'll direct you to the area and you can move them yourselves. All that's left in the tour is the bathhouse and the public kitchen for whenever you want to make yourself something." He led them back to the front hall and down another hall. He turned into a large kitchen where some people were making sandwiches. Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to a huge figure in the corner of the room. Jarod grinned. "Butch! What are you doing in the commoners' kitchen?"

The man turned around, and Alice and David hid behind Tristan's legs. He was just as tall as Marlo had been, but he was definitely bulkier. His doughy yet rough looking hands held a huge bag of flour. His pasty skin was covered in tattoos, and his face was strong, with a square chin and dark green eyes, a bald head, and a toothy grin. He wore a stained white apron, with black rubber boots. "We're running out of flour, I had to come down to get some from here. New residents?" He said in a deep powerful voice.

"Hopefully. I'm giving them the tour." Jarod answered, smiling. He turned to the group. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet our cehf, and a good friend of mine. Butch is easily the greatest chef I've ever met. He used to be the head chef at Capital Grill."

Tristan grinned at this. "Holy crap, really?! I love that place! Soem of the best steak I've ever had. "Which one did you work at?"

"The one in Pittsburgh." he answered, smiling.

"No kidding? Well, I used to live in Pittsburgh. I used to go there with my parents and sister for special occasions. I still remember the steaks and lobster, masterpieces."

"I never went there, it's good?" Alec asked.

Tristan looked at him. "I don't think you would of been able to, it's crazy expensive. But yeah, it's awesome. I was never a fan of lobster, but I still got the lobster staek combo whenever I went, it was awesome." he looked at Butch. "Question, how do you do at burgers?"

"Burgers? Hmm, I haven't made those in awhile. My specialty was always steaks, lobsters, and ribs." He answered. "But, not to brag, I also make a mean stew."

Jarod clapped Butch on the shoulder. "Well, I'm glad you guys were able to meet Butch, but I would like to finish the tour, unfortunately we're fairly busy here."

"We understand. The bathhouse is next right?" Jaina asked.

Jarod nodded as Butch headed back to his personal kitchen. "Yes, it's out back. Follow me."

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He led them to the back garden to a large structure that had steam coming out of it. "If you do stay, I think you'll be especially grateful for the hot water, considering winter is coming." He opened the door and led them inside. He pointed at two doors. "There are two areas, each with lockers, a bathroom, a large bath, and a shower room." he looked at a watch and sighed. "I really am sorry, but I need to leave. Feel free to explore, if you have any questions just ask a guard. Those bandits I told you about before? We think they're planning another attack."

He turned to leave when Tristan grabbed his shoulder. "How many ex military do you have here?"

Jarod raised an eyebrow. "Just one of our guards, actually. Well, there is an old veteran who fought in Vietnam, but he's gone a bit senile. But the guard was in the reserves, not much battle experience. Why?"

Jaina walked up behind Tristan as he smiled. "Jaina and I are Navy SEALS. You're being very generous to us, I'd like to help you with your problem. We all have battle experience, I think we can help."

Jarod's eyes lit up. "That's… amazing! Thank you, come this way."

Tristan motioned for James, John, Sakura, and Grant to follow him. "You guy go explore. Sorano, can you watch the kids? We'll be back soon."

Sorano smiled and nodded as the fighters followed Jarod.

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Jarod led them to a hall marked with a sign proclaiming that it was a restricted area. "This is rare for me, but we're desperate, so you have the honor of coming into the restricted area just this once." he said as he quickly led them to a room with a dozen guards inside. "Everyone, we've come across a stroke of luck. These two," he said, gesturing to Jaina and Tristan. "Are ex Navy SEALS, and they think they can help us with our bandit problem."

He pulled out a map, and laid it across the table. "We believe their camp is somewhere around here." he said, pointing at a red circle. "We've estimated that they have around fifty men right now. But almost all of them are soldiers and cops, so we've had an extremely difficult time getting close. In all they've killed one hundred seventy two of our people, and they've converted twenty seven to their group."

Tristan examined the map. "There's a cave here that looks like it leads up to a cliff overlooking a clearing." he said, pointing at a marked area.

"There is, but we tried sending one five of our men in. They got lost, and only one of them made it out, four days later. He died a few hours after we found him."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "We can get through." he said, confidence in his voice.

Jarod smiled. "Well, if you could that would be great, but I'm not willing to send my men back in there on the off chance you can navigate it."

Tristan looked at the map again. "I'm positive we could make it. It's a prime sniping spot, and good for sneaking around back for an ambush. Jaina and John could lead a team of your men here." He said, pointing at another spot on the map. "And wait for us to spring the attack from behind. Them they can join in. Let me take some of my people through the cave, we'll make it."

Jarod stroked his chin. "Well… there's no harm in letting you go through. Alright, we'll give it a try. I'm trusting your strategy experience."

Tristan grinned. "You won't be disappointed. So, who's their leader?"

"An chinese man named Aiguo Chen. He was a member of our community before he betrayed us. He used to be…"

"A Navy SEAL." Tristan growled, scowling. Jarod raised his eyebrow, and Sakura looked shocked at the anger int Tristan's voice. "I know that bastard. He defected to a Russian terrorist cell, he betrayed his unit, and almost got mine killed. I can't believe he's still alive."

Jarod nodded. "Well, then you know he's ruthless. He strung up one of my guard's bodies as a message. It traumatized a group of children."

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, I know. Jarod, it'll be an honor to kill him for you." he growled. "When do you want us to leave?"

"It's approaching dark right now, I'd like to send you in tomorrow afternoon." he answered. "For now, you can settle in, have dinner, maybe take a bath." He smiled. "No offense, but you all smell awful."

Jaina smiled. "Sounds good. We'll see you at dinner then."

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They headed back to the rest of the group. Mike, Amber, and Tyson were playing tag with the kids around the garden. Ella walked up to them. "So? What's the plan?"

"We're heading out tomorrow, but in the meantime we should take advantage of the luxuries. A hot bath sounds like heaven." Jaina said, heading for the bathhouse. She looked at the rest of the girls. "You guys coming?"

The women all headed for the bath house. Mike started for it as well, followed by Tyson, Ryan, Alec, David and Connor. Ryan looked back at the rest of the guys. "Aren't you guys coming?"

Grant and James started to follow, and Aaron shuffled towards them. Tristan and John stayed where they were. "I think I'll pass." Tristan said, the jaws of everyone dropping.

Connor gave John a look, and he sighed. "Alright, fine." John said, following them.

Tristan watched them go, and turned to leave when a hand grabbed his shoulder. Sakura spun him around to face her. "Why?" She asked.

"Because I've built up a musk that drives the ladies crazy." He said, grinning. He dropped the grin at Sakura's serious face. "Taking a hot bath will just remind me of luxuries we can't have on the road, and it'll be that much harder to leave." he said.

Sakura's eyes widened. "Leave? Are you serious?"

Tristan smiled sadly. "Sakura, you know I can't stay. I need to…"

"You don't, Tristan. Wandering the ruins all your life is not a necessity. You would seriously leave us?"

Tristan sighed. "Sakura, I don't expect you to understand. But if I stay here, then every innocent person that dies out there, every evil person that lives, every wrongdoing committed, is my fault. I'll take care of that camp of assholes, stay for the Sunday feast tomorrow night that Jarod mentioned, then I'm hitting the road." His eyes softened at Sakura's sad face. "It's who I am, Sakura. I just can't stay. I'm sorry. But you guys, you guys can stay here. It's a good place, this is a paradise."

Sakura gripped his shoulder. "And what about Alice and David? Are you going to force them to leave too? Are you going to make them leave?"

"No. They can do what they want. If they want to come with me, then they can. If they want to stay here, then they can." He answered.

"That's not fair to them Tristan. They see you as a hero. They adore you. You know they'll never leave you. But this place is good for them. Liz can teach them, they can grow up in a safe community. No nights going hungry, warm water. They'll choose to go with you, but you'll be robbing them of a great life." She said. "And it's not just them, we all lo… like you. You have a family, Tristan. No matter what you say, leaving to go on your own is selfish."

He looked away. "Sakura…"

"Just think about it. Promise me you will." She said, not letting go of his arm.

He looked at her for a full minute. "I'll think about it." He said.

"Great." She said, relieved. "And one more thing. Once we all get bathed, we're all going to notice how much you reek, and your 'musk' isn't going to be as charming as you think. Go get a bath, that's not a request."

"You're going to force me to take a bath?" He said raising his eyebrow. He grinned when Sakura nodded. "Alright. Fine."

She smiled, and they walked together towards the bath house.

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Tristan joined the guys as they started to undress. "So, showers or bath?" He asked.

"We're going in the showers." Connor answered as he pulled off his shirt.

Tristan shed his jacket and shirt. "Sounds good. By the way, I know it's tempting, but can you and Alec try to avoid fucking while we're in there?" Everyone laughed as Connor turned scarlet, scowling.

Alec walked in, coming out of the toilet. "What's so funny?"

Everyone started laughing again. "N-Nothing." James laughed.

Alec looked at Connor's red face, and he turned red as well, causing everyone to burst out laughing again.

David was struggling to get his pants off, and Tristan leaned down to help him. "Have you ever showered before David?" He shook his head. "It's awesome. All you have to do is switch on the shower head to the temperature you want, and stand under the water and clean yourself."

They headed for the showers, and looked around the room. There were stalls without doors, each with their own shower head, and a large drain in the center of the slanted floor. The floors and walls looked scrubbed and clean, and the shower heads were steaming and inviting.

Tristan helped David get set up, telling him how to use the shampoo and soap and brush. They each went into their own stalls, and switched on the water. They collectively groaned in pleasure at the hot water running down their skin. "Awwwww, God this is heaven." James growled, scrubbing his hair.

Aaron went to a far stall away from the others, staying silent, feeling inadequate with his gut against the toned and muscular bodies of the other guys.

Tristan raised his face to the water, letting it run down his face. "God, I missed this." He hissed, squirting shampoo into his hair.

John silently enjoyed the hot water, scrubbing his body with the soap as the others moaned.

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The girls walked into the bath area, and gasped. It was the size of a pool, full of steaming water, five other women already bathing.

Ella gasped. "Oh My God, they have bubbles." She whispered, running over to a shelf full of bubble bath.

Liz selected one, pouring it into the area she dipped into, moaning as she slipped into the hot water. The girls all waded into, hissing and groaning in bliss. "Oh my God, this is amazing." Sakura mumbled as she slid to her neck. "Where do they get all this water?"

"There's a hot spring near here, and Jarod had some pipes installed to transfer some of the heat and water to the building." A woman answered, in her own bliss. "You never get tired of the novelty."

I don't think anyone would." Dani sighed, grinning as she scrubbed her hair. "I have had way too many cold baths since Z-Day."

Jaina took a bar of soap and started to scrub. "This is heaven." She said, grinning.

Alice waded over to Sakura. "Sakura, can you help me? I can't reach my back."

She smiled. "Of course Allie. Turn around." Alice complied, and Sakura started to scrub the dirt from her back. She frowned as she pushed away some hair to discover a jagged scar on her shoulder. "Allie, what happened here?"

She noticed Alice tense up. "Nothing." She quickly said. Sakura's frown deepened, but she let it go for now. She could talk to Tristan about it later.

Rachel dunked her head in the water, coming up gasping. "Words cannot describe how good this feels." She said, pulling back her hair.

Sakura grinned as Alice decided to go swimming around the large tub. "I could definitely get used to this."

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Sakura and Amber decided to stay a bit longer once the others had finished. They met with the others outside. Ella noticed Tristan was missing. "Where's Tristan?"

"Cleaning Diego and Corporal. He thought they would like a shower too, so he's back there scrubbing them down." John answered. "How about we all go pick our rooms? Tristan and I are going to share a room with Connor and Alec, we thought we should all group up in fours since the bedrooms are meant for four each."

"Alice can stay with Amber, Sakura and I." Sorano said as they left.

Ella sat down on a bench. "I'm going to wait here for Corporal." She called out. She ended up sitting there for five minutes before Tristan walked out with Diego and Corporal. She smiled and walked over. "Thanks for cleaning him. I appreciate it."

He returned her smile. "Of course." He started to say something else, then placed a hand at his hip. "I left my knife in there. Go on without me." Ella nodded as he went back into the men's area, and she left the building.

A minute later he came out, and started for the door, when he froze. "So you say I'm complicated, that I must be outta my mind. But you had me under rated, rated rated." A beautiful voice hit his ears, soft singing emanating from the women's bath area. With a start he realized it was Sakura. "Oh ho ho. Whats wrong with being, what's wrong with being, what's wrong with being confident. Oh ho ho."

He slowly sat down on a bench to listen. She continued to sing, and he was captivated.

He didn't notice the singing getting louder, until he jolted to his feet when she and Amber walked out of the women's area as she finished the song.

Amber smiled. "Hey Tristan."

"H-hey." he stammered.

Sakura noticed he was red in the face. "You okay?"

He seemed surprised by her question. "Huh? Oh, yeah yeah, it's just really hot in here."

She smiled. "Well, it is a bathhouse."

He nodded, nervously grinning. "Yeah, it is. I just, uh, forgot my knife. Came back to get it. See you." He said, leaving.

Amber's mouth dropped as Sakura finished drying her hair. She seemed like was oblivious to what just happened. Sakura noticed her sister's dumbfounded expression. "What?"

Amber put her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "You are so dense." She said, walking out of the building, leaving Sakura confused.

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Butch has made a vegetable and chicken stew for dinner, and everyone lined up in the dining hall to get their plates. The group sat together, eating the hot meal prepared for them. "This place is awesome." Ryan said, swallowing a mouthful. "We should really stay here."

Sakura shared a glance with Tristan, who shrugged. _I don't know yet_. He said.

As they ate, Alec and Connor finished their meals early, and a minute in between each other announced that one had to go to the bathroom and one was tired and was headed to bed.

Alec paced in their room until Connor came in. They stared at eachother for a minute before Connor broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Alec. I never meant to make things awkward between us." He sighed. "Look, the truth is, I've been attracted to you since we met. But, I knew you wanted to focus on making sure Natalie was… I know you may not be ready for a relationship." He averted his eyes from the soft eyed Alec. "Anyway, I understand whatever you want. I understand if you're uncomfortable, or…"

He was cut off when Alec pressed him against the wall, and pressed their lips together. Connor was shocked, but soon closed his eyes and kissed him back. They held each other, running their hands up and down each other's backs and through each other's hair. Alec moaned as Connor grinded against him, and Connor grinned into the kiss, grabbing Alec and moving him to the bed.

Alec gasped as Connor bit his neck, working both their shirts off as he continued to trail kisses up and down his neck. Alec wrapped himself around his newfound lover, raking his nails down Connor's back as he wiggled out of his pants. Both of them failed to notice Tristan walk into the room, freeze, grin, and turn around to tell John that he wanted to go for a walk in the garden before turning into bed.

Yay! Finally, Calec is a thing. Or Alonner, Conec, Al… some ship name. Anyway, review! Tell me what you think of these new people.


	26. The Wrong Side

Hello readers. New day, new chapter.

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The next morning, Tristan got up early, smiling at the intertwined bodies of Alec and Connor. _They are so cute together._ He thought. He walked out into the halls. It was 5:00, the halls were completely empty. As he walked to get his breakfast he admired the art on the wall. He had personally always been more fond of realistic drawings and paintings rather than abstract art. The portraits were impeccable, the artist had even included the shine of sweat across the foreheads.

It was peaceful here. No zombies to worry about, no gunfire, no danger, no feeling that you're in constant danger.

It was so boring.

Tristan sighed as he reached the kitchen and took some frozen waffles and started toasting them. He had been turning Sakura's words to him over and over in his head. She had made several good points. This place did seem to be perfect. Alice and David would be happy here, and he had no doubt in his mind that they would drop everything to go with him. It really wasn't fair to them. And whether or not he wanted to admit it, these people were his family. It would be cruel to leave them.

But he had made a vow. A vow to bring the monsters of the world to justice. A vow to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. And besides, he hated towns. He couldn't stand being cooped up in the same place for years on end, it stressed him out.

It was overwhelming, he couldn't decide what to do. He jumped when the waffles popped out, taking them and pouring syrup over them and taking a fork. He moved to the dining hall, and to his surprise Butch was in there, eating a burger.

He moved to where he was sitting and sat across from him. "Made a burger, huh?" he asked as he started to cut his waffles.

Butch nodded as he swallowed. "Yeah. I started craving one after you mentioned them yesterday, so i made one for breakfast. Cheese, lettuce, and ketchup. The best combination in my opinion."

Tristan swallowed a bite of his waffles. "Sounds good. Personally, I like onions, pickles, and mustard on my burgers, with swiss cheese."

Butch finished his burger and stood up. "Nice chatting with ya. Gotta get back to the kitchen, the feast is tomorrow night." He said, turning to leave. Before he left though, he turned back to Tristan. "I hear you're going after Chen. Give that prick hell."

Tristan gave him a thumbs up as he left. He ate in silence, until he heard John sit down next to him, a plate full of sausages and toast with him. They nodded to each other, before continuing with their respective breakfasts. Tristan grinned, and stole a sausage off of John's plate. John glared at him, and without breaking eye contact reached over with his fork and took some of his waffles, drawing a laugh from Tristan, John's scowl being replaced with a small smile. "So, Sakura tells me you're planning on leaving."

Tristan's face fell. "I don't know. I really don't want to leave you guys, and Alice and David would be happy here. But I just can't stay."

John nodded. "I understand. Honestly, I want to leave too." Tristan's eyebrows raised at this. "I don't trust these guys. It's all…"

"Too perfect." Tristan finished for him. "I thought so too. Still do on a level. But, I just don't see anything wrong here. All I know for certain is that Chen is bad news, and he has to be put down."

John popped a piece of sausage in his mouth. "So what's the story with this guy? You said he defected to Russia?"

"December 2014. My squad was assigned to a top secret mission in Russia, another SEAL team accompanied us. Chen was part of that team. We never saw it coming. He went to do some reconnaissance, and when he returned he had a whole platoon with him. His entire squad was killed, my squad barely escaped with their lives. I was captured, and they risked the whole mission to save me. We managed to escape, and I thought Chen blew up along with the base, but apparently not." Tristan said, his face growing dark. "That son of a bitch betrayed us, betrayed America. Joined up with a terrorist organization plotting to overthrow Putin."

John was silent for a minute. "Then he needs to be brought to justice." He said.

"Absolutely. And I plan on being the one who delivers." Tristan agreed. They were silent for another minute. "So, if I decided to leave, you'd go with me?"

"Of course." John replied as he finished his meal. "Besides, I don't like being in towns, being cooped up isn't my thing."

Tristan grinned. "Exactly. I can't stand it, I need to move."

John smiled. "Whatever choice you make, you won't be alone, Tristan."

Tristan started to thank him when Ella sat down next to them. She looked slightly angry. "You two are seriously talking about leaving?"

John sighed. "Yeah, we are." He answered.

"With all the shit we've gone through, you're just going to abandon a blessing like this town? This is an answered prayer. If we take care of those bandits, we can be safe _and_ happy here. We can…"

"We're just talking, Ella. We haven't decided if I'm staying or not. But keep in mind that everyone has their own paths to follow." John said, cutting her off.

She glared at him, and moved further down the table to join Rachel and Amber who had just walked in. Tristan glanced at John. "You two seem to be at each other's throats a lot." he observed.

"She's the one who tries to clash with everything I say or do." John grumbled, nibbling on his toast.

Tristan smirked. "You two certainly seemed to get along the other night. You slept together." He pointed out.

John glared at him. "There's a difference between that and passing out from alcohol."

Tristan raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just saying. You two _can_ get along if you try, that's all I'm saying."

John was prevented from retorting by Jarod approaching them. "Change of plans. We need to leave as soon as possible. Get your friends that are coming and gear up."

Tristan rose. "Why the sudden urgency?"

Jarod had a grim look on his face. "Chen left us a message. Or more specifically, he left _you_ a message."

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Jarod had moved everyone away from the gate. Tristan stared in anger at the woman, beaten and bloodied, strung up on the gate with a message scrawled in blood across her chest. _We meet again, West._

John had a steely look in his eye. "That monster." He growled.

Tristan remained stony. "He'll get what's coming to him." He turned to Jarod. "Let's move."

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They split off into two groups. John, Jaina, and James led a group of guards to the ambush point, while Tristan, Sakura, and Diego took on the cave. Jarod joined Jaina's team.

They parted ways about a mile away from the camp, and Tristan and Sakura followed Diego to the cave. They stopped in front of it. It was certainly foreboding, it was literally impossible to see inside. A black void surrounded by moss and vines, and the squeaking sound of bats.

Sakura shuddered as Tristan moved confidently onward. "God, I hate bats." She muttered as she followed, Tristan switching on the flashlight.

He looked at her as she switched on her own. "You don't like bats?"

"It's the smell that I hate. Bat guano smells disgusting." She grumbled.

"Well, yeah, it's bat shit. But bats are awesome. They're such an amazing species. The only mammal capable of flight, one of the few creatures in the world capable of echolocation, plus they look badass and cute at the same time." he said as he aimed the light in front of Diego so the dog could see where he was going as he sniffed the correct path.

Sakura stared at him, but he failed to notice due to the blackness. "Cute?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, cute. Like little rats with wings. I used to have a litter of rats for pets, they're so cute and fun to play with." He said, smiling. "Funny story, it started out as one rat for a Christmas present. Turns out, Santa wasn't very good about keeping the boy rats separated from the girl rats."

Sakura laughed. "Oh my God, seriously?"

He nodded. "Yep. My mom saw blood in her cage, and lots of squeaking, and we were hit with the surprise that she had given birth to a litter of eleven little baby rats. They were so fucking cute, their eyes actually don't open until they're like a month old, so they wandered around the cage blindly, it was adorable."

"I'll take your word for it." She said as the squeaks started to reach their ears, and the stench their noses. Sakura felt a drop of water hit her head, then another, and another. _That's not going to get irritating._

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Jaina led the group silently through the woods. A guard almost opened fire on a bush when a squirrel jumped out.

After ten minutes, they heard a squeal and a metallic snap. Jaina looked around, and paled at the sight of a rabbit decapitated by a bear trap. She looked closer. They were surrounded by bear traps. "Nobody move!" She hissed.

Too late. A guard had seen a trap by his feet and stepped back, and tripped over a branch. He didn't have time to scream as a series of snaps and the crunch of bone filled their ears. Jarod was scowling. "They will pay for this." He snarled.

John was poking around with a stick, trying to clear a path. Jaina grabbed a stick as well, and the guards, Grant, and Jarod followed.

James looked around for a stick to help, and spotted a particularly long one. He reached out for it, and without thinking stepped towards it.

John whirled around at James's hissing of pain. James was kneeling on the ground, blood flowing from his leg as he tried with great effort not to scream in agony as he frantically tried prying the trap from his leg.

Jaina made her way over to him, and searched for a release. She accidentally pressed into his wound and he let out a sharp yelp, then covered his mouth. "Get this fucking thing off me!" He whisper yelled.

John knelt down to help Jaina as the rest stood as still as possible, fearing the same fate as their fallen brother.

James gritted his teeth together as John and Jaina slowly pulled the trap apart. They got it open just enough to give James room to pull out, and he frantically crawled away from the bloodied trap, John and Jaina letting it snap back into place after he had gotten out.

John cringed at James's leg. The flesh was torn to the bone, and his pants were wet with blood. He was panting, sweat mixing with the blood. He glanced at their worried expressions and the wordless thought across their faces. "I can still fight." He insisted.

Jaina sighed. "James…"

"I can. Watch." he cut her off. He slowly struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth and hissing as he put weight on his foot.

"James. Don't be stupid. You need to get back to the manor, it's going to get infected." John said.

"I came here to fight, that's what I'm going to do." James insisted, starting to walk, or rather, limp. "We need to keep moving."

'

Jaina grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. He was about to angrily retaliate when she shushed him. "Then at least let us help you walk."

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Sakura's eye twitched as yet another drop of water plinked against her head. She sighed as she followed Tristan's beam of light. It was entirely too dark in here. And the constant fluttering of bat wings didn't help her nerves. She felt something slide over her head, and she reached up to feel the rough material of a hat. A fedora.

"I find it keeps rainwater out of my face. Like a smaller and easier to travel with umbrella. I think it'll do the same with cave water." Tristan's voice said.

Sakura smiled to herself as the drops of water no longer bothered her. Diego suddenly barked, the sound echoing across the cave and riling up the bats. "He's found the exit. Let's double time it." Tristan said, in a stoic tone of voice that she recognized as his serious voice. She started to run along with them, and soon enough the cave started getting brighter, and then the glow of sunlight hit her eyes.

She squinted as they ran outside, her eyes adjusting to light. She looked over at Tristan and her breath caught. Latched onto his back was a fruit bat, it's claws digging into the leather of his jacket. "Uhh, Tristan…"

He angled his head, and grinned. "Hey there, cutie." He said, Sakura rolling his eyes as he slowly reached around to ease the bat of his back. It moved, startling Sakura as it crawled along his arm, much to his glee. "Aww, lookit how cute it is!" he said, reaching out to scratch its head like a dog. It fluttered its wings, and Tristan aimed his arm to the cave. "Off you go, fuzzball." he said. The bat screeched, and flew back into the cave. Tristan turned grinning to Sakura, who was very much not grinning. "What are you grumpy about?"

She rolled her eyes again as he led them to the cliff edge after she returned his hat. He set down the case he'd been carrying, and popped it open. Sakura whistled. Inside was a series of weapon parts, which Tristan started assembling to make a sniper rifle. She watched as he carefully assembled the weapon. He explained what each part was. "Adjustable scope. This knob here let's me zoom in and out. Bipod, that's obvious. Straight pull, makes loading the next shot easier, takes about five seconds off. Curved elongated magazine, stores more rounds, and it's curved so it doesn't take up as much space. Heavy silencer. Makes the shots more discreet without a drastic change in bullet velocity. Collapsible and adjustable stock, lets me adjust the stock to comfortably fire from whatever position I'm in. 7.62 x 51 mm rounds. These babies pack a serious punch. This rifle is bolt action to increase accuracy and stealth. This is one hell of a rifle." He said, grinning. "I have a serious gun boner."

Sakura smacked his head, grinning. "Alright, so what's the plan?"

He set up the rifle, and aimed down at the camp. "Contact the others, make sure they're in position. I'm going to scope this place out. That case I had you carrying has a grenade launcher with three grenades. Go down there and make them count, distract them so the others can move in for the ambush." He said, peering through the scope. He tensed. "I saw him. He just went into a tent. Chen." He growled.

Sakura popped open the case and removed the launcher. "How do I shoot this?"

Tristan got up from his rifle and crawled over to her. "It fires once then you have to reload. It's easy. Twist this, pop it open, and slide in the next grenade. Close the tube, you're ready to fire. Hold here to steady it, here's the trigger. Go nuts." He explained, crawling back to the rifle.

Sakura took her walkie to her mouth as she made her way down to the camp. "Jaina? John? Are you guys in position?"

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John had to hand it to James, he was being a trooper. He kept his gaze hard and forward as he leaned on John for support.

Jaina held up a hand as they reached the ambush point. Jarod's breath caught. The camp was huge, he counted around twenty five sleeping tents, a dining area, a large tent he assumed was for supplies. There was barbed wire everywhere, along with more bear traps.

Sakura's voice came on over the radio. "Jaina? John? Are you guys in position?"

Jaina responded. "Yes. James is wounded and we lost one of Jarod's men, but we're so far undetected. When do we strike?"

"Give me a minute to distract them so you can sneak in for an ambush. Once you hear explosions and running, head in." Sakura said.

"Noted. Raise hell." jaina said before rehooking the walkie to her belt. She turned to James. "Are you absolutely sure you can fight?"

He nodded as he was handed a shotgun. "I can fight. Trust me, I'll be fine."

Jaina glanced doubtfully at the bloody improvised tourniquet they had made from a police baton and torn cloth. He was determined, but that didn't change the fact that he had the body of a human, not a superhuman. She wasn't confident he could make it through the battle. But they couldn't exactly force him back to the manor.

Her thoughts were cut off by an explosion.

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Sakura made her way down to the camp, Diego following her. She hid behind a bush, spotting a sniper. She raised the walkie to her mouth. "Sniper, in the treeline. Around that big orange tent." she whispered. A few seconds passed by, and suddenly the sniper's head snapped back, and he fell just right so he stayed in the branches, not making any noise. She could see the hole in the center of his forehead. Pin point.

She snuck around to a good position,and set her sights on a large tent. She debated whether or not to blow up the weapons tent. If she did, it would leave them without more weapons to defend themselves. But if not, they could scavenge the tent for ammunition and supplies.

That thought made her mind. She ignored the weapons tent and aimed at the large tent. She took a deep breath, and fired. A _shoomp_ noise, and the grenade flew towards the tent. It went through, and a second later it detonated, sending the occupants of the camp scattering in a panic.

She located her next target, a tower where men and women with sniper rifles were climbing. Before she fired, the first one to the top jerked, falling as Tristan had put down another enemy. She fired, and the tower went up in flames. Last grenade. She had to choose wisely.

Diego growled, and she turned to see him tear out the throat of a man who had discovered her position. She looked back at the camp, and selected her last target. She aimed at the center of the town where around ten people had gathered. They barely had time to scream as she blew up the crowd.

A man spotted her, and raised his rifle. Then his head was blown apart by a shotgun blast. Her friends invaded the camp, shooting and stabbing. The men and women of the group were quick to retaliate, setting up their defenses and fortifying their positions. Sakura took a deep breath as she drew her blade to leap into the fray. Time to kick some ass.

She let out a battle cry as she leapt out of the bushes, slashing the neck of a nearby women decked out in riot gear. She grabbed the riot shield to block a spray of automatic fire and retaliated as the man tried to reload. It briefly occurred to her that none of them were aiming for her head, in fact it seemed like they were just aiming for her limbs. And they were using blunt melee weapons rather than sharp ones. _They must be trying to capture us._ She thought as she sucked a swing from a metal bat. All around enemies would randomly jerk and drop, prey to Tristan's rifle.

She spotted James and gasped. His leg was soaked with blood, and he was limping, but he was nevertheless fighting like an animal, hacking and slashing and blocking and punching. All the while his face was contorted in pain.

She was snapped back to her own safety when she was grabbed and thrown into a tent, her sword flying from her grip.

She stood up to come face to face with a man in all black leather armor. He was Chinese, with sleek black hair and a goatee. "Aiguo Chen I presume?" She hissed.

The man smirked. "Pleasure to meet you, miss."

She roared and swung a punch at him which he easily dodged. She kept up her attack, but none of her guts landed. He was toying with her.

"Not that this isn't fun, but I need to talk to Tristan." He said as he sidestepped an attack. "I don't wish to fight you."

"That makes one of us." She growled as she drew her pistol.

She raised it, and after a blur of motion Cgen was holding her gun pieces, having disassembled it to her shock. "I won't ask again." He growled as he stalked towards her. "Where. Is. Tr…" He was cut off by a black blade slashing open the side of the tent and a leather clad arm reaching inside and pulling him outside.

Chen looked up to see an enraged Tristan. He grinned as he escaped Tristan's gold on him. "Tristan. Great to see you again."

Tristan growled in response, brandishing his blade. "I don't know how you survived that explosion, but I doubt you'll survive d capitation."

Chen narrowed his eyes. "I don't want to fight. You're on the wrong…"

Tristan didn't give him a chance to continue, roaring and bringing his blade down. Chen ducked, stepping away and drawing a short sword. "I don't want to fight you." he growled, "but I will defend myself."

Tristan grinned coldly. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't." He replied, lunging forward. Chen deflected his attack, stepping back and slashing at Tristan's legs. The blade scraped across the leather, but Tristan emerged unscathed. He hacked at Chen, who ducked and punched Tristan's gut, receiving an uppercut from Tristan at the same moment. They both buckled for a moment, then launched back into battle. Chen chopped at him, Tristan blocked and kicked out, Chen stepped away and threw a punch, Tristan ducked and went to elbow him, Chen slapped the attack away and went to jab Tristan in the side, and so on in a seemingly endless flurry of martial arts embedded into the soldier's minds, both men's Navy SEAL training paying off in defense and attack. Tristan managed to knock away Chen's sword, but a second later Chen swiped at his hand, causing Tristan to drop his own sword to be kicked away.

Tristan scowled, going to get Chen in a pin, tackling him to the ground. Chen squirmed to get out of it, managing to elbow Tristan's eye and wriggle away. He got behind Tristan and put him in a chokehold. "Listen to me! I'm trying to… AARRGH!" He screamed. Tristan had grabbed his knife, flipped it in his hand, and jammed it into Chen's side. Chen briefly loosened his grip, and Tristan twisted and grabbed his chestplate, throwing him against the wall. Chen clutched his side, and glared at Tristan. Then his eyes lit up, and he threw his hands out. "I surrender!" he shouted.

Tristan hesitated, but started stalking towards him. "You're dying either way, so go down fighting, Chen."

Chen sighed. "Listen, you idiot! I'm trying to show you the truth!"

This stopped him. Tristan picked up his katana, and pressed the tip against Chen's throat. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't impale you right now." He commanded.

Chen kept his glare. "How about the fact that I specifically told my men to look for your people and _not_ kill them? The fact that I told them only to kill Jarod's men? The fact that I haven't been going for killing blows? My men are all ex cops and soldiers, former marines. If I wanted your people dead they would be by now." He said.

Tristan considered his words. He was right, maybe underestimating the abilities of Tristan's friends, but it was true they hadn't been trying to kill them. "I'll s=listen, but only if you answer a question."

Chen grinned and nodded. "Of course."

"Why did you defect? Why did you betray us? Why did you betray your squad?" He demanded.

Chen sighed. "Because I was fighting for what I believed in." he said finally. He held up a hand to silence Tristan's incoming protest. "Not terrorism. Tristan, you and I both know Putin was running a low key dictatorship. He rigged votes to keep himself in power, he was on the verge of attacking America. He hated us. I betrayed America both to protect it, and to spread its ideals. Those people you called terrorists? They wanted to overthrow the current government and instill proper democracy. And I wanted to help them. To make a difference."

"There are better ways to make a difference than killing innocents." Tristan growled.

"I hated that. I never said they were perfect, I despised them in my own way. But, in a fucked up way, their hearts were in the right place. I wanted to help shape a country into a proper place." Chen defended. "You can understand fighting for what you believe in, don't you?"

Tristan's hand was shaking. "Then why did you kill your squad? Why did you try to kill mine?!"

"I'm not a saint, Tristan. I know and accept that. I believed the ends justified the means, and I knew you and the others wouldn't stop until you had stopped me. I judged it a necessary sacrifice. But I have morals. They don't." He said, gesturing to the battlefield where Jarod's men were fighting Chen's.

Tristan had slightly retracted the blade from Chen's throat. "What are you talking about?"

"Tristan, you're on the wrong side of the fight. We were enemies before, but we should be allies now. I know you're a good man, which is how I know you're still under Jarod's charm. Don't be fooled." he warned.

Tristan's hand lowered completely. After a moment's hesitation, he held out a hand to Chen's surprise, smiling slightly when Chen took it as he helped him to his feet. "What is he doing?" he asked.

Chen breathed a sigh of relief. "It's bad, Tristan. They're…" he was once again cut off by yelling.

A man crashed into the room, red faced. "There he is!" he roared, raising his gun and firing before Tristan or Chen could react.

Tristan shouted out, "No!" as Chen fell dead, a hole in the side of his head. He gaped at the corpse, and turned in outrage to the guard to see Jarod already yelling at him.

"I told you to bring him in alive!" Jarod shouted at the stoic guard, yanking his gun away. "Tristan had him captured! He could be tried!"

"With all due respect, sir, that bastard and his men killed almost two hundred of our people. He got his justice." The guard said quietly.

Jarod sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That's not the point. The point is that he had to have a fair trial and…"

Tristan interrupted. "I'm sorry, trial?"

Jarod glanced at him. "I told you we try to keep the values of the old world at heart here. We have five former lawyers and and a former judge, and we've set aside a room to use as a court of sorts to settle disputes and pass on punishments. True, he was a monster, but even monsters got fair trials in the old world, did they not?"

Tristan glanced at Chen's corpse as Jarod continued to berate his man. He wasn't sure if he completely believed Chen, but he had had the feeling that something was off since they had arrived. Aiguo had just renewed his doubts.

He was brought back from his thoughts by Sakura waving a hand in front of his face. He turned to look at her, she was grinning. "We did it! No casualties from our own men, a few of Jarod's died though. You were doing a hell of a job snip… what's wrong?"

Her face had transformed into one of worry. Tristan glanced at Jarod. "I'll tell you later." he whispered, ignoring her confused expression and heading for the group.

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The others were waiting for them outside the gate along with the friends and family of Jarod's men. Ella was the first to spot the convoy, tristan's familiar RV leading the way. She and the others grinned, but those smiles dropped at the sight of John with a bleeding soldier helping Tristan carry a pale and heavily breathing James, whose leg had definitely gotten much worse.

The people of the manor were busy looking out among the brave men and women who had gone to fight Chen to see who was alive and dead as the group rushed to help James. Jarod had called ahead and ordered a stretcher to be ready, and they helped raise James onto this.

As he was rushed to the medical area, Ella turned to look at John's wound, worry across her face. "What happened?!" She asked, trying to look for any signs of infection or major damage.

He sighed as she fussed over his wound. "Got shot. Bullet went straight through, hurts like a bitch but no major damage. I'm getting it bandaged, I'm fine." He said, moving to follow the people carting James off to medical, leaving Ella once again irritated with John's dismissals.

Tristan looked after James, deciding he would be okay for now and gesturing for Sakura and John to follow him. John looked after James while they started for their room, then sighed. He couldn't do anything to help now, might as well see what Tristan had to say.

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Tristan locked the door, then quickly gazed around he room for anything that could be used to record sound or video. Seeing nothing, he sighed and turned to a confused John and Sakura. "I think something's wrong here." He said.

Sakura sighed, but John nodded. Sakura spoke before him, though. "Tristan, lease tell me you're not just trying to find an excuse to leave. What could possibly be wrong with this place? And why are you suddenly so convinced?"

Tristan hesitated. His answer wasn't exactly helpful to his case. "Chen told me."

John narrowed his eyes. "Wait, you actually talked to him?"

Tristan nodded. "Hear me out, both of you. Neither he nor his men tried killing us, only targeting Jarod's people. That's because he told them not to kill us. Because he wanted us to see what he believed to be true. He said that we were on the wrong side of the fight, that Jarod and the others were the bad guys."

"And you believed him?" Sakura asked doubtfully.

"Yes. No. Kind of, I don't know." He admitted. "But it definitely made some of my initial doubts resurface."

"I thought you said this guy was bad news? A traitor, evil. What's stopping him from lying?" John asked.

"It's complicated." Tristan answered. "Long story short, he isn't… wasn't… exactly good, probably, but I may have been wrong about him being bad. But that's beside the point."

"Tristan, these people have been nothing but kind, welcoming, trusting, and generous to us. I don't think they'd be like this if they were bad, or at least be more secretive." Sakura argued. "I think Chen was lying to you."

"I don't think he was." Tristan said. "Sakura, I'm telling you, something's off here."

John broke his silence. "I don't think we should be overly trusting of them yet, Sakura. But I also think we shouldn't jump to conclusions based on the words of Chen."

Tritaan sighed. "Yeah, maybe. You're right. I just can't shake the feeling."

Sakura glanced out Tristan and John's window at the backyard. "Well, I got pretty bloody. I'm going to go take advantage of that warm water again." She announced, turning to head for the bathhouse.

John looked at Tristan. "I'm going to stitch up my wound in here, so if you want to leave, go ahead." He said, pulling out a needle and medical thread from his bag.

Tristan grabbed the needle from him. "It will be cleaner if you have someone do it for you. I'll send in Ella, I have something I need to do." He said, ignoring John's glare as he walked out of the room.

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Tristan passed Ella on his way to his destination, handing her the needle and telling her about John. She headed for his room without a second thought. Tristan smiled as she walked away. _Alec and Connor finally got together, wonder how long it'll be before those two wake up._ He thought to himself as he walked.

He walked back outside to the front yard, where as he knew Jarod was addressing the crowd, mourning those lost and celebrating their victory. He patiently waited as he finished, Alice walking up and standing with him. "Did you kill the bad guys?" She whispered.

Tristan stared at Jarod. "I'm not sure yet." He said. Jarod finally stepped away from the crowd, walking up and smiling at Tristan. "I can't thank you enough. We never would have gotten rid of that pest if it hadn't been for you."

Tristan felt a massive pang of guilt hit him in the chest at the words, but kept a straight face. "I had a couple questions for you." he said.

Jarod nodded, walking towards the front doors. "I have some business I need to get to, but walk with me and we can talk." He looked down at Alice and gave her a little wave, drawing a giggle and a returned wave. As they walked, he looked at Tristan. "So, what did you want to know?" He asked.

Tristan chose his words carefully. "I wanted to know… how Chen came across your place? Why was he terrorizing you? I knew him in the military, he didn't strike me as the 'terrorize innocent towns and try to take their supplies' type of guy."

"You seemed to be surprised by his defection to Russia, so how well did you know him really? Besides, this world changes a lot of people. Only the lucky keep hold to their past selves." He said sagely. "But to answer your question, he came across the town one day with a group of other soldiers. They made their way into our ranks, but once they were given the trust to the forbidden area, they turned and betrayed us."

He wasn't lying, Tristan knew that was obvious. But he got the feeling he wasn't being given the whole truth. So, if Chen had been telling the truth, then he had come here, felt it was like a safe haven, gained Jarod's trust, then saw or heard something that made him switch sides. Again. He had to pry more. "What made him do that?"

Jarod shrugged. "Who knows really? I suspect he was just trying to get close to our supplies, maybe stay in a warm and welcoming place for awhile before he showed his true colors."

There it was. A pang of doubt. It seemed, sounded, and felt like the truth. But that sentence caused just a flicker of doubt in Tristan. This man could be an even better liar than even Wade or McKenna had been. And Tristan had learned long ago not to ignore feelings he got in his gut.

Jarod had led them to a hallway marked with the forbidden red sign. He turned to Tristan. "Sorry, but I have to go now. Chen's supplies are being moved to our own depots, I need to help do inventory and decide where everything should be moved. I'll see you soon, hopefully at Butch's feast tomorrow night! Until then, have a good day." He turned and went down the hallway, Tristan gazing after him until Alice pulled at his sleeve, wanting to show him something she or David had found in the yard, he didn't fully listen. He was too busy trying to piece this puzzle together.

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Alice and David had found a birds nest in a low hanging tree. Tristan identified the egg shells as robin eggs. No birds were around, they were probably gathering food, or had already flown south. Tristan found it oddly funny that even though the apocalypse had thrown human life into disarray and anarchy, the animal kingdom's habits really hadn't changed much. All they really knew was that there were slow, fairly stupid new predators that most animals could easily avoid. He grinned at the image of a family of deer eating grass in a meadow as a horde shambled past, a sight that would horrify nearly any human but to an animal as long as they weren't being chased couldn't care less.

He was drawn back to reality by Alice and David welcoming Alec. He turned, and saw Alec extremely nervous and red faced. "Hey, uh… Tristan? Can I talk to you? In p-private?" He stammered.

Tristan raised his eyebrow but nodded, telling Alice and David to go hang out with Liz who was sitting on a bench reading. He followed Alec to a bench a bit further away from the others and turned expectantly to him. Alec took a deep breath, and launched right into it. "I need your help."

Tristan saw instantly where this was heading. "With Connor?"

Alec nodded. "Listen, I've… never exactly… been…"

"I a relationship, sexual or otherwise." Tristan finsihed.

Alec nodded. "And… I figured that… since you were in a… ahem… same sex relationship before you could… help me." He finished lamely.

Tristan fought the laugh coming up. "Alright, what do you need?"

"Well… I don't want to screw up. So I was wondering if there's anything I should know, or any… tips."

Tristan sighed. "Alright, look. If you want tips for sex I can help. But if you want coaching through your relationship I can't and won't help you. Besides, same sex relationships really aren't all that different from opposite sex relationships. Only differences are you both have the same fun time parts and that you're both leaning towards one side of the feminine/masculine scale. Besides, you need to go through relationships on your own with your partner, otherwise it's not as genuine. You need to find what works, what you and your other are comfortable with. You need to discover what the relationship is going to consist of on your own. It just makes it all the better."

Alec was shocked at his bluntness, but nodded. "Oh. Um… thanks." He said awkwardly. "Look, just keep this between us okay? I think this was kind of pathetic of me."

"Not at all. Just go with the flow, Alec. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bird's nest to obsess over with the kids." he said, looking over at Liz picking out the shells with the excited kids. He smiled at Alec. "By the way, you two make a cute couple. If you were a couple in a story or something I think you'd be a ship. Calec or something like that." He said, going off in his head.

Alec looked at him like he was crazy, then began to laugh. "You're insane." He said, getting up to leave.

"Everybody says that like it's news to them." He thought aloud to himself.

Alec turned back to him. "So what would John and Ella be?"

Tristan grinned. "Jella." He and Alec both burst into laughter as they headed their separate ways.

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That night Tristan went with John to visit James. He was allowed two visits a day, so they took the time to go wish him goodnight and make sure he was okay.

When they arrived, the nurse manning the desk took out a key to unlock a gate separating the waiting area from the patient beds. She directed them to James's bed. He looked better, but that wasn't saying much. He had an IV in his arm, and they were giving him blood. He was pale, and his leg was wrapped up tight. He grinned weakly at them. "Hey guys."

Tristan cringed at the green tint on his bandage around his wound. "You look like shit, dude."

"Yeah, I know. But it's mostly the blood loss. The leg wasn't infected, so I should be better by tomorrow morning." James said, his grin dropping.

"It not getting infected is a goddamn miracle." John said. "Seriously James, going into battle like that was stupid. Glad you're okay though." he added.

"At least we won, right?" James responded, getting a clap on the shoulder and a "That's the spirit!" from Tristan, who in turn received a glare from John. "So, aside from coming to tell me I look like shit and that I did something stupid, what did you want?"

"Mainly to make sure you were okay and wish you goodnight." Tristan answered. "So, how are you?"

"Well obviously I don't look it, but not as bad as I thought I would. They put me on some painkillers once they stitched up my wound, and I don't feel like passing out anymore." He responded. His eyes were droopy. "Well, I am tired as hell, but… you know what I meant…"

Tristan smiled. "Goodnight buddy. See you tomorrow morning."

"Bring me some cereal, the food they give us here tastes like crap." James said, yawning as they left, and heading off to sleep.

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Sakura was brushing her teeth with Amber, Alice passed out in bed and Ella visiting them in their room and staring up at the ceiling. "So, Sakura." She called. "Has Tristan talked to you about his and John's plans?"

Sakura spit out hw water in her mouth. "About leaving? Yeah. I made him promise to consider staying. John wants to leave too?"

Ella sighed, sitting up. "Yeah. I can't believe them. We find this amazing place, and they want to leave. Can you believe it?"

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, their earlier conversation coming back to her. "They think there's something dark going on here. Apparently, Aiguo reinforced his fears before he was killed." She said. "I don't feel anything off."

Ella huffed. "Neither do I. Honestly, I'm loving this place. It feels homey."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She dropped the smile as Ella looked away. She had to admit, it was suspicious that the man had shot Chen before he could finish speaking.

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Ryan was in the mustang, looking at the engine. He removed a piece, replacing it with another. He heard a cough behind him, and turned to see Jaina smiling. He returned the smile. "Hey, what's up?"

She walked over, her smile fading. I've been wanting to to talk for a while, but things have been hectic. I wanted…" She sighed. This was awkward. "I wanted to talk about what happened with Rachel and the beer." She saw him tense up. "Hang on, let me talk. Look, Tristan said he asked, you didn't want to talk about it, and to let it slide. But I'm worried about both of you. We're friends, right? I can tell it's bugging you. You can talk to me, Ry." She said.

Ryan's shoulders sagged. "I… really appreciate the concern. But I can't."

She walked closer to him, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Ry, I'm listening. Please talk to me."

He looked at her eyes. He was conflicted. He had never, never in his life shared his past with anyone. He wanted to leave it as far behind as possible. So why was he talking now? "Our father was an alcoholic. An abusive alcoholic." He said. He noticed he was shaking. "He… was really abusive. To the point where he should have been locked up for decades. We both have scars."

Jaina had led him to the ground so he could sit while he talked. He was barely aware of her presence as he delved back into his past. "Especially Rachel, he hated her the most. Because of Mom. We never knew her, she died in childbirth. He blamed her."

Jaina was speechless. She worked to gather the words for a sentence. "God… Ryan, that's just… I'm so sorry."

He hung his head. "She has severe post traumatic stress disorder, he really fucked her up. That beer Tristan found was his favorite brand."

Jaina rubbed his shoulder. She couldn't believe he was opening up like this. But she was still confused about something. "So… why did she try to shoot you?"

Ryan took a shuddering breath. "I… take after my father. I look just like him, minus some gray hair and a really ugly sense of fashion." He said. He stood up abruptly. "I'm tired, i'm going to bed." He turned to Jaina. "Thanks, for listening." He said, heading for the room. She watched him go sadly, finally heading back to her own room after awhile.

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Tristan had woken up early again, and was headed for medical to check up on James and give him his cereal for breakfast. The man behind the desk took out the key and unlocked the gate. Tristan walked up to James's bed. He was laying down, his leg in a cast and looking a hell of a lot better than he had last night. He smiled at Tristan as he walked up. "Hey." He greeted.

Tristan returned the smile, handing him the bowl of flakes. "Hey. You're looking good." He observed as James dug into the cereal.

James nodded and swallowed. He looked past Tristan, and put on a smile as the nurse walked up to replace his IV bag. "Morning Grace." He said. "Grace, Tristan. Tristan, Grace."

Tristan extended his hand, and she smiled and shook it. "I heard you led the attack against Chen. Thanks for finally getting rid of that scum." There it was again. The blow to his chest he knew to be guilt. He smiled and nodded though, dropping the face as soon as she turned away. To his surprise James had dropped his smile as well, and kept his eyes on the nurse until she had left the room. He turned to Tristan. "There's something going on here." He whispered.

He was hoping his suspicions were misplaced. Apparently not. "I got the feeling." Tristan admitted. "Chen said they're up to something dark."

James shrugged. "I don't know, but last night I woke up from the sedatives they gave me. I heard some rustling, and two of the nurses were carrying something out the door. Remember that man from last night with the huge gash in his chest? This morning, I ask where he is. Apparently he got better and was released. That's what they said anyway. But then his sister comes in, just ten minutes ago, and they tell her he got worse and he's been moved to isolation. Tristan, he's gone. And I don't think he's been isolated _or_ released."

Tristan thought. "I'll see what I can find…"

James suddenly started grinning and chuckling. Tristan felt the eyes of the nurse on him, and grinned too. _I'll talk to the others, I need to go soon. Stay safe._ He mouthed.

James nodded slightly, but his eyes had a pleading look in them. Tristan felt the nurse approach. "Sir? I'm afraid visiting time is up. You need to leave." She said. Firmly.

Tristan rose and smiled pleasantly, walking for the door. He glanced at James one last time before leaving, giving a little wave before he closed the door.

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Tristan walked into the garden, searching for the others. Sakura and Rachel were sitting on a bench, watching a squirrel foraging for nuts across the yard. He strode over to them, and they took notice of his urgent demeanor. "Tristan, what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

He made it over. "Sakura, I'm positive now. James reported suspicious behavior last night. There's something going on, Chen was right."

Rachel groaned. "Oh for fucks sake, Tristan! Let it go! These people have been nothing but kind to us!"

He glared at her. "Don't believe me? Come with me to visit James this afternoon. Talk to him."

Sakura stared at Tristan. He was absolutely sure he was right. She turned to Rachel. "We haven't visited James yet anyway."

Rachel rolled her eys. "Fine. I'll talk some sense into both of you." She said. "When can we visit him?"

"The nurse wants at least ten hours between every visit, I saw him at six. So we can see him at four." Tristan answered. "Besides, I want to make sure he stays okay, I'm getting worried about him being alone there."

Rachel nodded. "Fine. Four."

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James's eyes fluttered open. These sedatives sucked. He noticed it was dark in the room, and he suddenly snapped fully awake. His eyes wandered, and he spotted three men heading for his bed along with three nurses.

His bed.

Oh crap.

As they drew nearer, he snapped into action, grabbing a knife from the first guard's bet, slashing his throat and causing him to fall to the floor, bleeding.

Another guard reached for his taser, and James sat up and grabbed him by the gead and smashed it against the wall. He tore at the IV, ripping it out, bending ti in the process.

He grappled with a third guard, determination in his eyes until he felt a needle slide into his neck. He clawed at the nurse behind him, feeling himself slipping… slipping…

Blackness… no thought…

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Tristan led them through the doors of the infirmary. He immediately took notice of the heavy green drape around James's bed while Rachel went to the front desk. "Hey, we're here to see James and bring him some lunch. Can you let us pass?" She asked.

The old fat woman behind the desk lowered her glasses to stare at Rachel. Her next words snapped Tristan and Sakura's attention to her. "I'm sorry, I thought you had been informed. James's condition has gotten worse, and he's been moved to isolation. I can't let you see him."

 **DUN DUN** _ **DUUUUUNNNNNNNN!**_ Review! Let me know what you thought of the chapter, and what you think will happen next!


	27. A Horrifying Discovery

Hello once more readers! What's this? Another chapter? So soon? Time for the next thrilling installment! Buckle up and get ready for the ride! Enjoy!

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"The fuck do you mean 'isolated'?! I just talked to him an hour ago, he was fine!" Tristan demanded, outraged.

The nurse narrowed her eyes. "Don't raise your voice, sir. You'll disturb the patients. James's wound reopened, and he started to lose a lot of blood due to the painkillers thinning his blood. He had to be closed off from visitors."

Sakura looked at the bed at the end of the room. It was surrounded by a heavy curtain. "He's still there?"

"Yes, but as I said he cannot have visitors. He lost a lot of blood, what he needs right now is rest, fluids, and as little stress as possible." The nurse firmly stated. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to see him for his own safety."

Rachel grabbed Tristan's shoulder. "Tristan, that's standard protocol for patients who require severe medical attention. She's right, we shouldn't be seeing him if he's gotten worse."

Tristan started to argue when a guard walked up. "Sir, if you're going to cause a scene I'll have to remove you."

Tristan scowled, but allowed Sakura to lead him out of the room. The guard shut the door behind him, and Sakura turned to face him. "Tristan, I'm sure he'll be fine."

Tristan glared at the door. "Sakura, he _was_ fine. He looked healthy, he _was_ healthy. I'm convinced now, there's something going on." He closed his eyes. "Chen shouldn't have died, he was trying to right whatever wrong Jarod has done. I'm making it my personal duty to finish his mission."

Sakura looked at the medical door. "Alright, look. Let's go back to your room, and cool off. Honestly, I admit I'm starting to get my own doubts. But if you're right, we need to handle this logically."

Tristan sighed, nodding. "Alright, yeah. Let's go."

Sakura smiled, taking his arm and leading him to the rooms, Rachel following.

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Tristan paced back and forth. Sakura watched him with worry in her eyes.

Rachel, however, still wasn't convinced. "Tristan, calm down. I really think you're worrying over nothing. It's natural that they wouldn't let us see James if he's gotten worse."

Tristan turned to her. "That's the thing. He was perfectly fine when I visited him this morning. Leg was all better, minor pain. And he was just as concerned as I am when I spoke to him. Then, all of a sudden, he got worse? Bad enough that he can't have visitors? It makes zero sense. I'm telling you, something's off."

Sakura thought. "Alright, tell you what. Let's go try to visit him again together, and…"

There was a knock, and Sakura answered it. "Yeah?"

It was a guard. "Dinner is being served. Please proceed to the dining hall."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you." She closed the door. "Ok, we need to go to dinner. Rules, remember? Besides, I'm starving."

Tristan shook his head. "You go ahead. Watch the kids, I'm going to medical. Something's wrong, I'm going to find out what."

Sakura sighed. "Alright. I'll make sure the kids are taken care of. And try to hurry, I know you're just as hungry as the rest of us."

Tristan nodded. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

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Sakura joined the others at their table, the kids sitting next to her. She saved the seat next to her for Tristan. John sat down across from her, eyeing Tristan's seat. "Where is he?"

"He went to see James. He still thinks something's off." Sakura answered.

John nodded. "And I still agree. This place… seems too perfect. Hot water, secure walls, friendly people, apparently amazing food. It shouldn't be this good without a catch. And then there's Chen."

Sakura shrugged. "Maybe, but might as well take advantage of the luxuries while they're available."

John didn't answer. Butch had already brought in the appetizers, and now was walking in with a huge platter. "Pulled pork!" He boomed. Sakura's mouth watered.

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Tristan made his way to the medical clinic. He reached the doors, and walked in.

The young woman behind the desk looked up at him, surprised. "Uh, you're supposed to be at dinner." She said, nervous.

He raised his eyebrow. "I wanted to see James."

"He has been, uh… released. Just left."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "Don't bullshit me." he growled.

The woman was sweating. "Listen, why don't you just go to dinner, and… Urk!"

Tristan reached across the counter, squeezing the pressure point in her neck, causing her to fall unconscious.

He jumped the gate and ran over to James's bed and threw back the curtain. He was right, he wasn't there.

He knelt down and examined the sheets. There was a bit of blood on the IV needle, slightly bent, like it had been yanked around a little. He looked at the floor. It had been scrubbed. Recently. There was a slightly pink hue to the tiles. Blood. A struggle. His wound could have re opened, yes, but wouldn't the bandage absorb the blood? He looked at the wall, an indentation. He felt it, and found blood inside, along with some hair. James had shoved someone into the wall, hard. And he wouldn't do that without a reason.

Tristan moved to drag away the nurse's body, when a guard entered the room. Before he could shout, Tristan jumped the counter and snapped his neck. He dragged both bodies to the closet, tying up the nurse and gagging her, throwing the guard on top of her.

He closed and locked the door, and ran out of the room.

He immediately made his way to the forbidden area, hiding whenever a guard came. One by one, he peeked inside each room, never seeing anything. Butch passed by with a pot of spicy smelling stew.

He heard a guard approaching, and ducked into a room. As the guard passed, he looked behind him. He was in a kitchen. Meat was cooking on the stove, something in the oven, a brown sweet smelling sauce in a pot. Vegetables and spices littered the counters. This must be Butch's personal kitchen.

He glanced at a pair of double doors in the back of the room. Something in his gut told him to go through them.

He moved towards them, an apprehensive feeling in his stomach. He slowly pushed them aside, and gasped.

The room was red. Not just by the lone red lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, but there was blood everywhere. Tables, floor, wall, everywhere. Metal tables held saws, hooks, sickles, meat tenderizers, cleavers, knives, all kinds of sharp tools. The feeling in his gut rose as he recognized a bone saw, he had seen emergencies in the Middle East that required amputations when he was serving.

There was another door in the back. Despite the horror of this room, Tristan did not want to enter the door. He felt the metal, it was cold. The room behind it must be a meat locker.

He grasped the handle, took a shuddering breath, and opened it. He nearly dropped right then and there.

Bodies were hanging up on hooks. Human bodies. Strung up like cattle and pigs in a burger shop. A low moan escaped Tristan as he saw the missing limbs, incisions where organs had been removed, missing jaws and tongues, scalps peeled.

Then he saw him. Tristan dropped to his knees. James. He was hanging on a hook. Fresh, blood was still dripping from his neck. His gut had been sliced open, his internal organs removed. His limbs were all missing.

Tristan ran his hand down his deceased friend's body, not believing his eyes. James was gone. It took a moment for what was going on to settle in his mind.

Then he heard the doors to the kitchen open, Butch's whistling piercing his ears. His vision went red, he felt the fury rising in him. He turned around, marching towards the kitchen.

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Sakura gazed at the empty seat next to her. Where the hell was he?

She looked at her eagerly waiting friends. No one else seemed to be wondering where Tristan had gone.

She turned to John, and was happy to see that he too was staring at Tristan's empty seat. "John." She said, snapping his attention to her. "Do you think you could go look for him? I promised I'd watch the kids."

He nodded, and stood up, heading for the doors. As he approached them, Jarod intercepted him. "John, where are you going? Butch is going to be here with the main course any minute."

John glanced at him. "Bathroom." He answered.

Jarod smiled. "Ah. Down the hall, second door on the left. Hurry back."

He nodded, and went to find Tristan.

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(Quick note, I would recommend listening to "You're going down" by Sick Puppies during this section.)

Butch whistled, taking the meat off of the steaming stove, placing it in the platter. He heard the back door open, and turned to see an incredibly pissed off Tristan. "Tristan? You're not supposed to be back here. What are y…"

"I. Am going. To kill you." He interrupted, hatred etched deep into each of his words. His eyes were full of loathing, and the unsettling glint of insanity. Strangely, he had a cold smile on his face.

He had seen the freezer. Butch's kind face transformed into a cold, wicked grin. It looked like he had found tomorrow night's dinner. "You're welcome to try." He said, his deep voice taunting Tristan.

They stood in a standoff for almost a full minute. Then a blur, and Butch felt a fist connect to his cheek. Tristan planted an uppercut to Butch's jaw immediately following. Butch growled, and picked up the leather clad marine, tossing him across the kitchen.

Tristan landed by the refrigerator, glaring daggers at Butch as he stood back up, drawing his knife. Butch responded by picking up the meat cleaver, and running for him.

Tristan dodged Butch's powerful swing, then swiped at Butch, drawing a gash across his gut. Butch was unfazed, swinging the cleaver at Tristan. He dropped and rolled between Butch's legs, standing up behind him and plunging his blade into Butch's fatty back.

Butch grunted in pain, and swung his fist around to whack Tristan's cheek with his fist, then uppercutting his jaw, sending him sprawling.

Tristan stood back up, ducking Butch's cleave at his head. He raised his eyes to meet Butch's, pure intensity and insanity in them. He leapt up, taking a fallen cheese grater and scraped it across Butch's forearm. As Butch yelped and clutched and clutched his arm, Tristan grabbed Butch's collar and slammed his head against the corner of the counter.

Butch stumbled, dazed. Tristan kept ahold of his collar, and slammed his head against the corner of the table again. Tristan eyed the piping hot stove, grabbed Butch, and shoved him against the side of the stove. As he grabbed his head and pushed, Butch placed his hands against the stovetop, pushing against Tristan forceful pushing, tearing at the pain in his burning hands, but fearing what would be infinitely worse.

Butch's sweating face approached the hot stove, terror in his eyes as Tristan leaned all his weight against Butch's head. Tristan started to let out a roar of fury as Butch screamed in agony as his face was slowly pressed into the stove, grilling it. Tristan leaned all his weight onto Butch's head, pressing it against the burning metal, searing the flesh of the cook.

Butch desperately scrambled for something to save him, grabbing hold of a frying pan and slamming it against Tristan's head, putting a break in his hold just long enough to push away. Tristan stumbled, then looked at the face of hell.

Butch's previously pale hands and face were blackened and brown, strips peeling off, his eyes bugging out, his voice hoarse from the continuous agonized screams. He screeched in a horrible mixture of pain and rage, running at Tristan.

Tristan sidestepped, Butch sailing past him, and out the back doors leading to the meat prep area. Butch slipped in a puddle of blood, falling and banging his head against one of the metal tables.

Tristan stalked into the room. "First, I'm going to string you up on one of your damned hooks like you did to James. Then, I'm killing every fucking person here." he growled. He grabbed a chain and meat hook. "Burn in Hell, asshole." He swung the chain, and Butch barely scrambled away before the hook could bury itself in his neck. Butch slowly stood to his feet, using a tabletop as leverage, as Tristan drew back the hook to swing again.

Butch grabbed a saw and ran at Tristan, pinning him against the wall. Tristan dropped the chain to block Butch's arm as the bone saw slowly inched towards Tristan's neck. If Butch's face muscles hadn't been burned away, he would have been grinning.

Tristan hooked the crook of the hook on his boot, and lifted his leg. He pried away one of his hands to grab the hook, and swung, jamming the hook into Butch's neck, causing the brute to gurgle on his blood.

Tristan pushed away Butch as the dying cook clutched his neck, the hook buried in his neck. Tristan kicked him to the ground, and gathered up the chain in his arms. He slung the chain over a thick pipe on the ceiling, and pulled Butch up. Slowly, he hung up Butch in the same brutal way he had all his victims, fulfilling his promise.

Tristan was breathing heavy, tears in the corners of his eyes. He went into the freezing area, taking James down from the hook, and wrapping him in a cloth.

He carried the frozen corpse of his friend. As he walked through the doors to the kitchen, he came face to face with the end of a shotgun barrel.

A fuming guard grinned coldly, starting to depress the trigger. Then a loud clanging found was heard, and the guard crumpled, John standing behind him with a bloody frying pan. He stared at Tristan. "I assume you have a good reason for…"

"Has anyone started eating yet?!" Tristan interrupted, his voice frantic.

John looked confused. "No, they're waiting for Butch to bring out the main course, why?"

"Meet the main course." Tristan growled, pulling back the cloth to reveal the dead James, limbs missing.

John's jaw dropped in horror, then he got a steely look in his eye. "We have to move. Now."

As they took off down the halls, the barely conscious guard reached for his walkie talkie.

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Sakura watched the double doors, starting to worry. Alice tugged at her sleeve. "When is Tristan coming back?" She asked.

Sakura rubbed her hair. "I don't know, Allie. I'm sure he's fine." She answered, doubting her own words.

She glanced at Jarod, a stony face and walkie talkie against his ear. He put it down and spoke to some guards, who then started marching for the double doors. Jarod faced the crowd. "Everybody, the main course is taking a little longer than expected. Please, dig into the appetizers and stew for now." He announced.

People immediately headed for the table. Sakura hesitated, but Alice and David leapt down from their chairs, running for dinner. She followed, staring at the food. It smelled delicious, and almost entirely meat. She was starving.

She loaded up a bowl full of stew to start. She noticed Alice picking up a piece of her food and raising it to her mouth. "Allie, that's rude. Wait until we get to the table, use a fork."

She nodded, putting the meat back down. They sat down. Sakura got a spoonful, smelling the spices. She raised it to her mouth, Alice raising a forkful of her pulled pork.

Then the doors slammed open, and a resounding, " _ **STOP!**_ " Resounded across the room. "GUYS, PUT DOWN THE FOOD!"

Sakura dropped her spoon, Alice throwing away her fork. Tristan and John were standing in the middle of the room, Tristan holding something wrapped in a cloth. Both were glaring intensely at Jarod. "You! You sick fucks!" Tristan roared.

Sakura ran over. "Tristan, what's going on?"

Tristan kept his eyes trained on a stone faced Jarod. "Meet dinner." He growled, John shoving the food from the table to the floor, and Tristan throwing the thing in his hands on the table.

Everyone screamed in horror when he threw aside the cloth to reveal the frozen corpse of James, his stomach sliced open, his arms and legs missing. "You're eating James!"

Sakura turned to see Rachel and Ella vomiting, trying to get everything out of their mouths. Alec, Michael and Ryan were sweaty and pale faced, they had already started eating. Amber looked on the verge of tears, Alice and David were paralyzed with horror. Aaron had passed out, Jaina holding back vomit. All around people were vomiting and crying.

A gunshot rang around the room. Jarod had aimed his gun at the ceiling, and now aimed it at Tristan. "You should have kept your nose in your own business." He said in a monotone. Sakura noticed that most people around the room were perfectly fine, some of them continuing to eat. "You know, you would have liked the taste. Butch was a fine cook, and this meat is filled with nutrients and protein. It's actually quite good for you."

Sakura held a murderous gaze on him. "You're sick! These are human beings!"

"Irrelevant. You get used to it after the initial shock. And it's actually quite thrilling. Unfortunately for you, now you have to be on tomorrow night's menu."

Tristan gasped, and Sakura turned to see him yank a dart from his neck. Sakura felt a sharp pain in her own neck, and pulled out the red feathered dart. Her vision blurred, and she fell along with her friends to the floor.

Cliffhanger! Review! And sorry bruno14, James is gone. I really am. R.I.P. Feel free to send in another OC, or just keep reading. He will be missed.


	28. Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Bloody

**Hello readers! I'm sorry I took so long, I was focusing a couple other stories of mine. (Also I'm a huge procrastinator) Not to worry, there's a lot left to this story. Now, time to conclude this particular chapter in our heroes' lives.**

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Alice watched in horror as Tristan fell to the ground, Sakura and John following. Soon half the people in the room started running around screaming, trying to escape as the guards went to work subduing them. She felt a tug on her arm, and looked up to see Amber pulling her and David through the crowd to a hallway, where Michael and Tyson were yelling at them to hurry. Sound turned to a continuous weird ringing in her ears, her brain shut down as she was led through the halls by Amber and the guys. All the while, the image of James, sliced apart and frozen, stayed seared into her eyes.

Amber pushed her and David into a room, Michael slamming the door shut behind them and locking it. Slowly the ringing subsided, and the sound of Tyson throwing up hit her ears, Michael holding back vomit of his own. She became aware of Amber shaking her shoulders. "…lice! Are you okay?!" She nodded, sound unable to come out. Amber sighed, finally letting herself turn to the wall to start throwing up. David was shaking, tears falling down his face, calling for Tristan. Michael panicked, covering David's mouth, but this just threw him into a fit as David started going into hysterics, Michael trying desperately to keep him quiet as they hid.

Amber shoved him aside, hugging David and whispering to him that everything would be okay. She huffed as soon as he calmed down, turning to the others. "Jesus Christ… Jesus, what the fuck…" she muttered.

Tyson was pale in the face. "Did we seriously just _eat_ James?!"

Amber nodded, covering her mouth. Michael looked through the crack of the door, grimacing. "There are people running all over the place, the guards are combing the entire manor. We can't stay here long."

Tyson curled into a trembling huddled position. "Wha… what are we g-gonna do?" he stuttered. "Oh God, we're going to d-die!"

"Screw that." Amber growled, wiping her mouth and standing up. "I'm not going down without a fight!"

"They have guns!" Mike hissed. "They're ruthless cannibals! Tell me, what exactly do you expect _us_ to accomplish?"

"I expect us to save our friends." Amber replied, a hard, steely look coming into her eyes. Michael still looked hesitant, Tyson was still shaking on the floor. Amber sighed. "Look. Maybe you guys haven't been with us long, but those people are our family. Mike, think about how nice Tristan was to you when you met him. He invited you from solitary to our group. And Tyson, your _sister_ is with them!"

Tyson froze at this, and then started shaking harder. "Oh God, Dani… Amber, I… I'm useless here." He admitted. "Dani always did all the fighting. I'm no good in a rescue."

"You're raw manpower then. No one is useless." Amber stated.

As the older kids talked, Alice glanced through the cracks, where screams could still be heard, and grinned. These screams weren't coming from the running people.

"Okay, but we don't have any way to defend ourselves. How are we going to fight? How… Alice no!"

Alice had opened the door, and immediately Diego leapt in, muzzle bloodied with the corpses of guards behind him, with Corporal following behind him. He started sniffing Alice and David for injuries, then licked them, wagging his tail. Alice laughed, then looked at Mike. "We have a soldier dog!"

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Jared walked up and down the room, grinning at the meddling pricks bound in chains. "You know, I wasn't planning on killing all of you. In fact there's a risk some of your meat will go to waste due to over stock. We only kill the sick and our enemies. James wouldn't have survived the world with that leg anyway."

Tristan glared at him. "That doesn't mean shit. You murdered an innocent man. Now, I'm going to kill you." he growled.

Jared merely smirked at the threat. "That will be difficult when you're grilling on my stove." His smirk warped into a furious scowl. "Which reminds me… I've been meaning to thank you for killing my _cook!_ " On the last word he drew his foot back and rammed it into Tristan's stomach. John flew forward at this, trying in vain to escape his chains to strangle Jared. "And _you_ helped him!" He kneed John's face, sending him back into the wall. "How many people know just the right way to turn a man into a steak? He's been feeding us for five fucking years, and you just killed him!"

Sakura scowled. "Anything Tristan did to him, he deserved worse."

Tristan laughed at this. "I know. I'm going to skin you, Jared." the cannibal leader barely spared him a glance. "Dismember you, cut out your organs, and string you up like meat on one of your hooks."

Jared scoffed. "Why don't you worry about escaping those chains first, then we'll see about you getting close enough to touch me." he turned on his heel and left the room, talking into a walkie talkie. "Find those kids, ASAP." He ordered.

"Don't you fucking touch my brother!" Dani shouted. "I'll fucking kill you, asshole!"

Ryan squirmed in his chains, craning his neck to see Rachel and Jaina chained up further down. "Mother fuckers…"

Aaron was hyperventilating, Grant and Elizabeth trying to calm him down. Alec was still passed out, Connor trying to wake him up. Ella was silent, and John looked at her. "Ella? You're really quiet, are you okay?"

She glanced at him. "What do you think? We're chained up like livestock, facing death."

He scowled at her. "No need to be condescending, I was just worried."

"Don't start." Sakura interrupted as Ella opened her mouth. She sighed. "What the hell are we going to do?"

Tristan watched as John struggled with his cuffs. He tugged at them, trying desperately to pull them out of the wall. "I'm willing to bet money you're not going to be able to pull those out. They were built to chain up cattle."

John glared at him. "I'm not a fucking cow. Besides, I don't see _you_ doing anything to get us out of here."

"That's because the best thing to do right now is to play along. Relax and wait." Tristan replied coolly, leaning up against the wall.

Sakura looked at him in shock. "Relax?! I'd think that out of all of us you'd be the one going crazy and getting out of here to kill these assholes."

"Oh don't worry, heads will roll. But you've forgotten, we still have some of our group uncaptured." He responded, grinning.

John stuck his foot out, attempting to catch a needle on the floor with his toe to pick the lock. "We have two nine year olds, a couple teenagers, and two dogs. They have trained killers and guns. Forgive me for not being optimistic." He remarked, giving up on the needle.

Tristan shot a glance at him. "I was in the military for a long time, John. And during that time, I learned a lot of important lessons. One of them was to always trust your squad to have your back. Have a little faith, they may be kids but they've survived the apocalypse for five years now, you don't do that without being tough."

"So what, we just sit back and wait for death? Shouldn't we at least be ready in case things go bad?" Ryan asked.

John didn't let Tristan answer. "Absolutely. We can't rely on a group of kids to save us from a pack of cannibal assholes." He growled, tugging on his cuffs again. "I don't intend to wait around for death."

Tristan raised his eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead he went back to staring at the door, going over in his mind exactly how he was going to kill Jared as he walked back into the room flanked by guards.

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Amber stuck her head around the corner, and upon seeing that the hall was empty waved her friends forward. Diego ran ahead, having led them to a specific room. Amber kneeled in front of the lock, frowning.

Alice nudged her aside, and to her surprise started to pick the lock. "Tristan showed me and David how." She explained, and after a minute the door flew open. They let out a collective gasp, the room was full of gear and weapons. And in the very back, _their_ gear and weapons. Alice recognized Tristan's katana and hat on one of the tables.

Amber turned to the others. "Alright. Here's the plan. Alice, since you know how to pick locks, go with Tyson and save the others and lead them here. Mike, David and I will organize everyone's gear into piles so they can suit up quickly."

Tyson glanced at Michael, who was grinning at the prospect of spending alone time with Amber. "Uh, why don't I stay here with you? You don't know Dani's gear, I do. I'd probably be better off here."

"Sorry, but I need Mike to watch my back while I organize. A guard. You'll take Diego and Corporal with you to fight." Amber answered, already having started. "Hurry, we don't know how long we have!"

Alice tugged on Tyson's hand, smiling in determination, and set off to save the others, Diego and Corporal leading the way to track them down.

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Jared felt heated glares on his back, and turned to smirk at the chained up group. "Well, I was planning on waiting until we had all of you," he said as he walked towards them. "But seeing as how your kids haven't been found yet, I think it's safe to say that they've run." He grinned at them. "Can't say I blame them, they are only children after all. Now, who wants to go first?" he walked along the wall, gazing at each of them. He stopped in front of Elizabeth, who gazed back at him fearfully. "How about you?" he asked, not waiting for an answer and grabbing her wrist. A guard unlocked her chain, and he started tugging her to a draining tub.

"Hey fuckhead." Jared stiffened at the name, turning to glare at Tristan. "Why don't you try fucking with me before my team. Because I guarantee you that I will tear out a chunk of your flesh for every one of my friends you kill."

He smirked. "No, I think I'll do you last. What will be the point in fighting if your whole group is dead?" he cackled at this, turning to walk back to the tub, Elizabeth starting to cry, Grant struggling against his chains.

"Did you see his body?" Tristan asked, getting Jared to stop again. "Butch's, I mean. Did you get to see the remains of my attack?" he grinned a devilish grin. "You know, I pressed his face against his grill. His flesh blackened and peeling, skin burned away so that his eyes and teeth look like they're bugging out. It's horrifically beautiful."

Jared turned slowly to glare at the marine. Sakura glanced worriedly at Tristan. "I don't think pissing him off is such a g…"

"I jammed a hook in his throat too. Hung him on a pipe." Tristan continued, his gaze never wavering. "Such a… satisfying feeling came over me. Killing him. Slaughtering him like you slaughtered James. It was sweet justice." He started laughing as Jared threw Elizabeth to the side, a guard moving to return her to her chains. "Oh, have I upset you? I'm sorry, I thought talking about how I murdered your bitch of a cook would make you feel better." Jared was not gentle in grabbing him by the collar as he was unlocked from his shackles, Sakura and John crying out.

"Try anything, and the guards will shoot your friends." Jared growled, the guards moving to comply, training their guns on the group. "Try and fight, they all die."

Tristan kept his smug grin as he was led to the tub. As they led him, though, he caught sight of a familiar little girl in his peripheral vision. Alice placed a finger to her lips, and Tristan gave the tiniest of nods, imperceptible to anyone not paying attention. Jarod spun him around, shoving him to his knees. "Any last words, soldier boy?" he drawled, smirking.

Tristan glared at him, then sighed. "Please, don't… don't hurt them. We'll do anything."

This caught Jared by surprise, along with the rest of the group. Ryan turned to Sakura. "Is he… is he surrendering?"

Jared's smirk returned. "I'm afraid the only thing I want from you, requires cooking you."

"But… we can do things for you. My group and I, we're skilled people. We're good at what we do." He pleaded, doing his best impression at a begging face. Jared simply raised an eyebrow. "We can… build for you? Like, structures and things. Grunt work. We can set your traps for you, we can do things for you and your group."

Jared narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why would you help us? Why would you offer this after all we've done to you? What game are you playing?!" He demanded, his voice rising. Nearly all eyes were on him and Tristan now, and seeing this, Alice popped her head out from under a table to wave at the others. They realized what Tristan was doing, and grinned at the girl as she smiled and went back under the table for Tristan to reign them all in.

"If it means my group surviving, I'm willing to do anything." He continued. He grinned. "We can entertain! You know, I've memorized all the Epic Rap Battles of History." Jared stared at him, dumbfounded. "True story. Here, watch:" he cleared his throat. "Epic Rap Battles of History. Master Chief! Versus! Leeeonidaaaas!"

Jared scowled. "What the hell are you…"

Tristan held up a hand. "Spartans! Hoo! Let's start this! Hoo! Show this petty officer who's the hardest! The biggest mistake that you ever made! I'll toss you like a frag grenade! I'll stomp you in the face with my sandals enraged and tonight we shall rhyme in the shade!"

This did it, everyone in the room was staring at the marine as if he was insane, and seeing this Alice snuck out from under the table with a lock pick, and immediately set to work on freeing Alec. Upon his release, she handed him the pick, and he went to work on the others, moving silently as Tristan kept the attention on him as he rapped.

He had switched his voice now to a deeper one. "Not. So. Fast. Cortana says you're Greek. So why don't you stick these lyrics up your ass. They built a monument to my sins. You're the soldier they need you to be, ain't no way that you can beat me. Even my initials spell MC." Alec and Alice were working furiously, they were halfway through now, and with each freed member David and Tyson waved them over to a small doorway where they disappeared into the next room. All the while Jared was too stunned to try and cut him off.

He was back to Leonidas now, "I'd look you in the eyes, but you're too much of a bitch to show your face!" he switched back to the deeper voice. "You got a bad case of no shirt there, Fabio Flintstone. Your whole plan got messed up by a hunchback with down syndrome!" his eyes followed Alec and Alice as they neared John and Sakura, the last two. "300 asses need a kicking. Give more tea bags than Lipton! So why don't you quit your bitching, my trigger finger's itching!"

He grinned at the dumbfounded Jared. He scowled, his eyes flashing. "What the fuck was that?!"

"You didn't like it?" Tristan asked, putting on a sad face. "Ooh, wait! What about this one? It's one of my favorites, it's Boba Fett versus…"

"Shut the fuck up!" Jared demanded, shoving Tristan down into the table. He peeked out through Jared's shoulder. Sakura was free, John was the only one left. Jared grinned maliciously. "I think, that I'll turn you into a stir-fry."

"Actually, can I be a steak?" He asked, chuckling. "Ooh, with barbeque sauce! Ribs! Use me for a grill out!"

Jared's eyes flash with anger. "You won't be laughing soon. Goodbye, Tristan…" He drew a butcher knife and raised it over his head.

"Wait!" Tristan cried out. Jared scoffed. "Just one last thing…" John was free, heading for the door… Tristan grinned. "You are all…" Gone. Through the doorway. Tristan's face warped into an evil grin. "…Dumbasses!" He head-butted Jared, leaping up from the table and grabbing a pistol from a holster and shooting down three guards. Diego leapt out from under the table to join the fight, teeth flashing before tearing into the guards. Jared turned to kill the rest of the prisoners, then cried out in anger at the empty chains. He turned to see Tristan slashing the throat of another guard, using his body as a shield as he kept shooting. Jared aimed his gun, then realized that it would be smarter to run. He took off for the hallway, rushing to escape the laughter that rang out behind him. He paled at the shout… "Ready or not! Here I _come!_ "

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"Sakura had a crossbow, do you see any?" Amber called out, rooting through the boxes.

Mike narrowed his eyes, pulling a box out. "Uh, a couple." He pulled out a trio of bow and arrow sets. "Are any of these hers?"

She glanced over. "No, she had a crossbow. Hey, is this your…"

"What the fuck are you two doing in here?" Came an angry voice. The two of them whipped around to see four guards glaring at them. The one in front broke into a grin. "Wait… you're the brats we're looking for." Amber gulped, but glared at them as she picked up a pistol and aimed, pushing a frightened David behind her. Mike did the same, but paled when the four of them pulled out shotguns. "Come quietly and maybe your deaths will be painless."

Amber growled, but to her surprise Mike planted himself in front of her and David, staring hard eyes at the group. "You'll have to go through me first, assholes."

"Well ain't that cute." One of them piped up, cackling. "He thinks he's tough shit."

"Turn around and you'll see some real tough shit." Came a growl. The four guards turned to see John and Sakura glaring at them, the rest of the group behind them all looking pissed off. Before they could react John reached out and snapped the first one's neck, Sakura kneeing the next in the crotch and stealing his knife to stab him. The last two raised their guns, only to have their faces blown apart by Ella and Grant shooting them with looted pistols. Sakura raced over to Amber, hugging her tightly as Sorano joined them, Amber crying into their shoulders. "We didn't… we didn't lose anyone else, right?"

"No. Alice and Tyson got us out just in time." Ryan answered, locating his gear and strapping everything on, the rest of the group doing the same. "We need to hurry though, Tristan is keeping them off our backs, and I don't want to leave him without weapons for too long."

Dani was fussing over Tyson to his embarrassment, now that they were out of danger for the moment. Mike and Amber had already finished sorting the gear, and as the rest of the group arrived, they handed them their gear. Sakura, not seeing her crossbow picked up a quiver and a military grade compound bow. She looked around at the group, smiling at the sight of them all ready to start kicking ass. Then her eyes widened in horror. "Where's Alice?"

Their heads all immediately started whipping around, looking for her as Sakura moaned in horror. "Oh God, where the Hell is she?!"

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Tristan stalked through the halls, singing. "Get up, come on get down with the sickness! Get up, come on get down with the sickness!" He spotted a figure running down the next hall. "Get up, come on get down with the sickness! Open up your hate, and let it flow into me, get up, come on get down with the sickness!" he ran after them, turning the corner and shooting their back, the body crumpling and falling to the ground. Diego shot past him, taking down his friend he was running after him as Tristan threw his head back. "Oh, wah ah ah ah!"

He heard a gun cock, and whipped around to see a guard aiming a rifle at him. His hand flew up, shooting the guard as he stepped to the side to dodge the shot fired at him. He felt a force slam into his side, and he was knocked into the wall by a large guard, who drew a pistol and aimed it at his head. Then his face warped into a pained expression as he went down, Alice standing behind him having kicked him in the balls. Tristan laughed, getting up and grinning down at the writhing guard. "Nice kick, Allie." He glanced at her. "Thanks for the save, but I'm guessing you ran off without the others, right? You've probably scared them to death."

Alice hung her head. "Sorry, the others were getting ready, and I didn't want you to be out here without a lot of weapons. So I brought you yours." She smiled, turning around to heft up the duffel bag she had lugged around with her.

Tristan grinned, unzipping it and pulling out his katana and pistol. He grabbed his hat and placed it on his head, pulling Alice into a hug. "You were really brave, Allie. You saved us, and you risked your life to help me. I'm proud of you."

She smiled at his praise, hugging him back. Diego joined in, licking their cheeks before Tristan stood up and started strapping on his gear, handing Alice the pistol he had stolen. "Watch my back for me, okay? We're hunting down Jared." Alice nodded in excitement, and Tristan grinned a devilish grin. "Let's kick some ass."

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The group raced through the halls, occasionally coming across another escapee running from Jared's men. Ryan held out a hand, and they all stopped. "Listen…"

They heard singing, but instead of just Tristan's voice they heard two. "You mother get up come on get down with the sickness! You fucker get up come on get down with the sickness! Madness is the gift, that has been given to meee!" Tristan and Alice came running around the corner, Diego in tow. "I can see the madness… oh hey guys!" Tristan greeted, waving. David ran to them, hugging the two of them. "Any luck finding Jared?"

"No." Elizabeth replied, glaring at him. "What is she doing here with you?"

"Well, she kicked a guard that was about to shoot me in the balls, and gave me my weapons, so that I could more efficiently kick ass. I've been watching her." he defended, giving Alice a pat on the shoulder. Elizabeth scowled, but didn't say anything as they regrouped.

"Do you think he ran?" Rachel asked.

"Not likely." Grant answered. "This is his base, and considering the guards are still here I'd say he's biding his time. Probably setting up a trap."

"Then let's find him before he finishes that trap, and rip his head off." John growled.

Tristan slapped him on the back. "Sounds like a plan! Let's get this fucker."

"Well we need to find him first. Can't Diego and Corporal track him?"

"Corp's been trying, but he can't get a solid hold of his scent. He's been running all over the place." Ella answered.

"Diego's having the same problem. I say we split up, and whoever finds him brings his head to the rest of us." Tristan piped up.

"Sounds good to me." John said. "Ella, you're with me. Tristan, you take Alice and David, Sakura you go with Amber and Sorano. Ryan, Rachel, you go with Jaina. The rest of you, go make sure our vehicles aren't compromised."

"Move out!" Tristan ordered, taking Alice and David and taking off down the hall, Diego following. John took off down another hall, Ella taking Corporal and following as everyone split off to do their jobs.

Tristan stalked through the halls, keeping Alice and David behind him, Diego watching their backs. David tugged on his jacket, and pointed to an ajar door down at the end of the hallway. Tristan narrowed his eyes and made a motion to Diego, turning to the kids and pointing to the ground. _Stay here._ Diego sat obediently, guarding the kids as Tristan made his way to the door. He stepped inside, darkness enveloping him. He was silent, his ears attuned to his surroundings, listening for anything out of place. He felt a presence, and turned in a full circle, peering through the darkness. In the corner of his eye, he saw a single green dot, blinking red every now and then. He looked closer, and saw the faintest outline of a figure. He raised his gun, and was knocked to the ground by the butt of a gun. He growled, whipping around to punch his assailant, only to feel a cord wrap around his neck and constrict. He choked, and Jared whisper in his ear. "This is what happens when you fuck with me. You should have kept your nose out of our business."

Tristan could only growl as he struggled to free himself. Pounding footsteps were heard, and the door burst open and John came barreling in to knock Jared away. He punched the guard in front of Tristan, and snapped the other's neck. Tristan stood up, peering through the darkness. He saw the green dots again, moving with Jared and the guard. "They're wearing night vision goggles." He growled.

John grinned, reaching into his jacket and removing a flashlight. He saw on of the lights, and whipped it towards him, shining the light at the figure. The guard cried out, the flash blinding him as he fell to the ground clutching at his face. Tristan rushed forward, grabbing him and hefting him up to slash his throat before letting him drop again. And once again he was knocked down by Jared, and put into a headlock. Jared started laughing as he choked the marine. "You think we're monsters. But we're doing what we need to survive. We've _thrived_ here!"

"But you forfeited your humanity for it." John growled as he punched Jared away, following up with an uppercut, then grabbing him by the throat before Jared could fall and slamming him against the wall. He grabbed him by the hair, and slammed his face into the wall before tossing him to the ground and pinning him. Tristan located the lights, and illuminated the room to reveal Jared's now bloodied face as he panted, barely conscious. John grabbed him by the collar, slapping him to wake him up. "Don't you _dare_ fall asleep! _I'm not done with you!_ "

Jared turned his head to spit out blood. "Have you ever been starving? On the brink of death? Your people all clamoring for whatever sustenance they can get ahold of? Because that's what happened to me. To all of us here. We did what we had too."

"You're murdering and devouring innocent people." Tristan growled.

"And you do the same to animals. We all do. We're all food, we're all animals. Our food is just like your deer and cows. The only thing keeping you from eating other people is sentiment. The idea of eating your dog is abhorrent to you, because of sentiment. But to a total stranger, he's a meal. The same goes for strangers." Jared defended. "I guarantee you, if you were starving, you wouldn't hesitate to eat another person."

"We're not sick in the head like you. These are humans, we're not just mindless animals!" John roared. "You're a sick monster, and you're going down like one."

Jared grinned, his teeth stained with blood. "I know I'm right… it's in our nature to do what it takes to survive… self preservation…"

John scowled, cutting him off by punching him. Then again. And again. He fell into a rhythm, beating his head, blood spurting as John turned his skull into fractures and his flesh to mush. Tristan looked on, face impassive and merciless as he watched his friend beat in the cannibal's head.

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Sakura was the first to reach their position. Alice and David were sitting outside the room, Tristan had told them not to come in. She pushed the door open, and her eyes immediately found the remains of Jared on the floor, his head reduced to a bloody pulp, brain matter staining the floor.

John was at a sink, washing his hands of blood. While Tristan leaned against the wall. "Is everyone else okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Whatever was left of Jared's men ran. The other people who were here are all recuperating, but I think we avoided a huge body count on our end."

Tristan nodded, then startled as a woman shot into the room, crying as she embraced Jared's dead body. Tristan growled as he drew his sword, but stopped when the woman glared at him, tears streaming down his face. "You animals! You've murdered a good man!"

"Good man? He tried to kill us and eat us. He didn't suffer enough." John shot back. "All of you deserve death."

"You don't know what it was like! We were starving, and he fed us! He protected us! He gave us a home! He made us feel like maybe things could go back to the way they were!" She screamed. "Now what will we do?! You've slaughtered everyone!"

"You can burn in Hell, you fucking hypocrite!" Sakura shot back. "You people were trying to slaughter _us!_ And we defended both ourselves and our people."

The woman ignored her, burying her head in Jared's shoulder. They watched as Tristan walked over, pressing his pistol against her head. "You're a murderer. At best an accessory. You need to pay the price for your crimes."

"Fuck you." She muttered. "Fuck. You!" She cried turning around to hit him. Tristan grabbed her hand, and shot her in the head. As her body fell across Jared's, Tristan holstered his pistol. He turned, hard eyed, to the door. "Let's go. We're done here."

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Sorano and Amber went around after James's funeral, dressing everyone's wounds as the other's prepped the vehicles. Tristan had taken off, he hadn't said where he was going. After Sorano finished checking Sakura, she decided to go and try to find him. Jaina was examining a bump on Ryan's head he had received when he was knocked out. He grimaced as she poked it again. "I told you I'm fine, I need to help load the vehicles…"

She grabbed his shoulder and forced him back into a sitting position. "You have a purple mound on your head. I'm making sure there's no negative effects. There's no way in Hell I'm letting you damage yourself further."

Ryan scoffed. "You're not going to _let_ me?" he smirked, glancing at her but faltering under her glare. "Uh…" he averted his gaze. "How much longer?"

She shined a light in his eyes, and his pupils retracted. "Not much, looks like you don't have a concussion." She smirked, poking the bump again and drawing another grimace from Ryan. "Alright tough guy. You're good to go."

He scowled, but it turned to a small smile as he got up to help. Aaron was struggling to lift a box of ammo, and John moved to help him, lifting it with ease and causing Aaron to flush in embarrassment. "I had it…" he muttered.

"Sure you did." John replied, setting the box in the back of the APC. "That's why you were barely lifting it."

Elizabeth was setting the kids up for bed, as it was the middle of the night. They had considered staying at the manor for one last night, but they had all agreed it was too painful. The people who had lived in ignorance at the manor had decided that despite the horrors inside, they would stay, as it was a decent residence.

Once the vehicles were all loaded, Grant called everyone over, with a grim look set on his face. "Everyone, I… I'm staying here." At first, everyone was shocked into silence, then Elizabeth stepped forward. "Grant… Why? You're leaving us?"

"Liz, almost all of the guards here were cannibals. So now they're all dead. These people, they need protection. An officer to help keep them safe. Look, you're all amazing people, and I've loved being with all of you, but my duty as an officer keeps me here. I couldn't live with myself leaving all these people alone." Grant explained. Silence again, and Liz walked the last few steps and hugged him. Grant hugged her back, and the guys walked over clapping him on the back, the girls hugging him. Alice and David hugged him too, and a tear fell from his eye. "You all stay safe, alright? The world needs good people like all of you."

Everyone nodded, muttering promises to stay safe and goodbyes. Grant gave them all a salute, before turning and walking back to the manor. Ryan sighed, activating his walkie. "Tristan, Sakura. We're ready to head out, where are you?"

Sakura's voice crackled on. "We'll catch up to you, head north."

Ryan raised his eyebrow, but hooked the walkie to his belt. "Come on guys, let's go."

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Sakura took a wild guess, and thankfully she was right. Tristan had gone to Chen's camp, and when she got there she saw the bodies of Jared's men tossed carelessly into the bushes. _Still more respect than they deserve._ She thought to herself.

She reached the center of the camp, and watched as Tristan moved the bodies of Aiguo's men into a pyre-shaped pile. Setting the last body up with care, he picked up a tank of gas, dumping the liquid over the bodies. Her eyes travelled up the pile. Tristan had handled their corpses with respect, setting them into almost peaceful looking sitting positions. And on the top, was the still body of Aiguo Chen.

She walked up as he walked out of a tent with a pair of flags. One she recognized as the American flag, the other had three horizontal stripes, white, then blue, then red. The Russian flag. He planted them in front of the pile, crisscrossed. "What's with the flags?"

"It's a symbol of respect. Respect for another soldier, no matter whose side they're on." He answered, stepping back to admire his work. He reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a box of matches. He lit one, holding it over the pile for a moment before letting it drop. He stepped back as the bodies ignited, a mass cremation. He stared stone-faced, but Sakura saw a range of emotions flash across his eyes. Anger, probably directed at Jared. Sadness at the loss of a fellow soldier. Empathy for his plight. Regret at the anger he had felt towards Chen. And most prominently, respect. He stood at attention, and as he watched the bodies burn he raised his hand to his forehead in a salute, holding it there, a statue. A soldier.

She felt his emotions, and turned to watch the fire spread. Chen looked at peace, Tristan had finished his mission for him. She glanced back at Tristan, and saw a single tear fall from his eye. She reached out hesitantly, then took his other hand in hers. She wasn't sure if he'd noticed at first, but slowly he squeezed her hand in appreciation for her support.

Her walkie crackled to life. "Tristan, Sakura." came Ryan's voice. "We're ready to head out, where are you?"

She raised her walkie to respond. "We'll catch up to you, head north." No response came, so she hooked it back on her belt. She didn't know exactly how long they stood there, but after a while Tristan took a shuddering breath, lowering his hand. "We should get going, we don't want the others to have to great of a head start on us."

She nodded, keeping their hands intertwined as they headed for the motorbike Tristan had taken to get here. He revved the engine, Sakura deciding to leave her bike here and getting on behind him, wrapping her arms around his chest as he took off. Leaving the fallen warriors behind, at peace, the intertwined flags flapping in the breeze.

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 **And there it is. Sorry again for the long wait. But I don't intend on leaving this story unfinished. Until next time, review!**


	29. Bad Memories

It had been nearly a month since Jared, and Fall was in full swing. The leaves had turned various shades of red, yellow, and orange, the ground transformed into a crunchy colorful canvas of dying plants as October neared it's end.

Sakura woke up earlier than usual this morning, yawning and rubbing her eyes. She looked around the RV. Everyone was still sleeping, but Tristan's spot on his bed was empty, as were Alice and Davids'. She got up, stretching as she walked outside. She squinted against the light, and then screamed as a man in a hockey mask and trench coat leapt out from behind the RV, waving a machete. "JESUS CHRIST!" She screamed as she fell to the ground shaking. She stared in shock as Jason Voorhees started laughing, then took off his mask to reveal Tristan's grinning face. "HAPPY HALLOWEEN!" He greeted.

Sakura's shocked face turned to one of anger as she stood up. "What the hell?! You gave me a heart attack!"

"It's Halloween, you're supposed to be scared!" He defended, still laughing. "I dress up every year cos Halloween is my favorite holiday. This is the first year I get to spend it with other people!" He exclaimed.

She tried to keep the look of anger on her face, but he looked like an excited child, beaming. She eventually chuckled. "Jesus, Tristan…"

He smirked, poking her. "Gotcha good, didn't I? Oh, I almost forgot! Look, watch over there!" She raised an eyebrow, but looked where he was pointing. She saw Alice and David, dressed up like Chucky and the girl from The Ring hiding in the bushes. "Ryan, Aaron, and Mike went to go fishing about half an hour ago. They radioed in a minute ago, they're coming back."

She grinned as she watched the treeline. She saw the trio coming through, and once they reached the clearing, Alice and David leapt out if the foliage shrieking. Aaron squealed then fainted, Mike and Ryan cursing and running before tripping and falling.

Sakura giggled as Tristan burst out laughing, Alice and David high-fiving while giggling. Ryan stormed over. "First you scare the shit out of me when I woke up, then you pull this? Are you going to do this all day?"

"Maybe…" Tristan replied, mischievously. "'Tis the Spirit of Halloween my friend."

Ryan scowled as he went to retrieve the bucket of fish they had caught. Sakura turned to Tristan, admiring his costume. He had gone all out, chipping the mask in the right places and tattering the coat, painting the red stripes in what looked like dried blood. The machete was even bloodstained. _Hopefully that's all zombie blood._ "Where did you find the time to do all this?"

"Two days ago when we raided the wal-mart. Between the clothes section and the costume shop a few blocks away, I was able to whip up these badass costumes. I got you one too, if you're interested." he answered, replacing his mask and walking into the RV. Amber's scream followed a few seconds later, followed by laughing and cursing as Tristan inadvertently woke up everyone else. Sakura burst out laughing as Amber and Sorano ran out, followed by Tristan carrying a plastic bag. He handed it to Sakura, and she opened it to reveal several costumes. "I wasn't really sure what you might like, so I got several. There aren't too many great female horror movie villains, so Mrs. Voorhees is really the only one in there."

She reached into the bag, pulling out a mask and grinning. "I always like Michael Myers." She said, pulling the mask over her head.

Tristan grinned, pulling his mask over his head. "Hey, if you get dressed quickly maybe we can get John and Connor." he said excitedly. Sakura laughed, pulling the full Michael Myers costume out of the bag and dressing up.

They hid outside the APC, and Tristan Waved Alice and David over, who knocked on the door. "John? Can we talk to you?"

Grumbling was heard inside, and John opened up the back tired eyed. Tristan and Sakura jumped in front of him, shouting and waving their blades. Connor screamed, and John cursed loudly as he instinctively threw a punch at Tristan. Tristan stumbled for a moment, before laughing and pulling off his mask. "You… should… should've… seen your… f-face…" he said between breaths.

Sakura laughed as John glared at them both while Connor started laughing. "What the fuck is this shit?"

"Happy Halloween!" Tristan, Sakura, and the kids said in unison. John shook his head, scowling as he closed the door. Sakura raised her fist, and Tristan tapped it with his own.

Now that most of the group was awake, most grumbling at Tristan's antics as they went about their morning routine. Tristan went to work grilling the fish for breakfast and lunch, insisting on keeping his costume on all throughout the day.

John went to work on doing inventory of their supplies after lunch. They had gotten a large boost in supplies from the manor, and John had been strict on preserving what they could, and making sure they didn't use too much.

Tristan sat in front of the fire, writing in his journal while the others passed the time in their own way. Alice peeked over Tristan's shoulder. "October 31st, 2024. I scared the sh…"

Tristan reached a finger up to press against her lips. "Typically the point of a journal is to _not_ have other people know the contents." He said, smiling to show he wasn't angry.

"Sorry, I'm just bored." Alice responded. "What did you dress up as last year?"

"Master Chief. I found a full size cosplay that fit me in a random house I looted. Year before that I was Death. Year before that, I was the Terminator. First year of the apocalypse, I was still a little dead, I really didn't do much. So no costume." He answered, going back to writing. "In the years before the apocalypse Daniel and I went as paired costume partners."

Alice nodded along as she listened. "I don't really remember Halloween, the only holiday we really celebrated in the bunker was Christmas."

Tristan smiled. "Halloween was always one of my favorite holidays. The decorations, the costumes, giving kids candy whenever they came to the door. And the Halloween spirit. Plus Daniel and I made a game of scaring each other."

Alice laughed, then lifted a page. "Hey, Sakura's name is on here…"

Tristan slammed the book shut, laughing nervously. "I-I think that's enough writing for right now, let's go do something else." He shot a glare at Ryan who started laughing as he listened.

"Excellent idea." Elizabeth commented as she came out of the RV. "Alice, David? It's time to start the day's lessons." the kids ran to her in excitement, Tristan smiling at their eagerness to learn. His smile faltered however when he caught the briefest glare sent his way by Elizabeth. He frowned, but forgot about it when Sakura called him over.

She was setting up a collapsible table, struggling with one of the legs which was refusing to extend. "Little help?"

He nodded, holding it in place so she could use both arms to pull. She gritted her teeth, finally pulling the rusted leg out. "There…" She said, pulling out a box. "Up to a game of chess? I found it in an overturned car."

He grinned, pulling up two chairs as she set to work setting up the board. "Switch the bishops and knights, the knights go next to the rooks." He reminded her.

"Sorry, it's been awhile since I played this." She admitted as she fixed the positions.

Tristan nodded. "I've been practicing it, I've played it with Diego a couple times." She rose her eyes to meet his, raising an eyebrow. "I love him, but he's not a strong chess player." he admitted.

Sakura rolled her eyes, chuckling as she finished. "White goes first, right?"

Tristan scoffed. "Wow, racist much?" he laughed as she punched his arm. "Yeah, white goes first. Make your move."

As they played, Aaron got bored and pulled up a chair to watch, asking if he could play the winner. Tristan beat Sakura within five minutes, and Aaron switched seats with her.

Within thirteen turns Aaron had, to everyone's surprise and to Tristan's glee, captured both his rooks and a knight, and was backing Tristan into a corner. "I was captain of the chess team in high school." He explained as he moved his queen.

"And clearly you earned it. I love playing people who can match me." He said happily as he moved his bishop.

Ella had come over to watch. She leaned in to Sakura. "Aaron's kicking his ass." She whispered.

"I think he'll still win." Sakura whispered back. "He pulled some trick with his knights when I was playing him."

"Well he only has one left. Care to make it interesting?" Ella asked.

Sakura grinned. "What do you have in mind?"

Ella grinned evilly. "If Aaron wins, you need to hit on Tristan."

Sakura paled at this. "You…!" Then she froze, and she grinned. "Alright. But if Tristan wins… you need to flirt with John."

Ella's mouth dropped. "J-John?! You can't be serious. Why the hell would I do that?"

"Oh please, the sexual tension there is so thick I could cut it and spread it over my toast." Sakura teased, grinning. Ella's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and anger. "Look at it this way, you'll freak him out at the very least."

Ella huffed. "Fine. Deal?"

Sakura held out her hand. "Deal…"

"Checkmate." Came Aaron's voice. Sakura paled, and looked to see Tristan laughing and reaching out to Aaron for a fistbump. "Good game."

Aaron tapped his fist with his own. "Good game."

Sakura looked down at her outstretched hand, and saw a smirking Ella. She drew her hand back. "W-we didn't shake on it yet!"

"Ah ah ah. A deal's a deal." Ella teased, taking Sakura's hand and vigorously shaking it. "Don't worry, I won't rush you. You need to find the right _mood_."

Sakura facepalmed, groaning. "Fine, fine." She peeked through her fingers to see Ryan sitting in the chair to challenge Aaron as Tristan wandered off, her eyes following him as he headed back for the RV. "A deal's a deal…"

Tristan walked into the RV, plopping down on the driver's couch to watch as Alice and David worked on sheets of paper Elizabeth had written equations down on. "You kids learning lots of stuff?"

Alice nodded, flashing him a grin. "Liz says we're very smart for our age. We're doing Algebra!"

Tristan laughed, not seeing Elizabeth glance at him in annoyance. "You're smart kids, can't say I'm surprised." He glanced at Elizabeth. "Thanks again for being their teacher. I don't know crap about some of that stuff."

She nodded, turning back to them. She leaned down to Alice. "Allie, honey, you want to foil this."

Tristan raised an eyebrow at this. "What's a foil?"

"Distributing. Do you mind staying quiet so they can concentrate?" Elizabeth answered.

Tristan nodded, getting up and grabbing his DMR from the shelf. "Sure thing. You guys have fun. Hey Liz, have Sakura radio me when you're done here, I have a surprise for the kids." She nodded to acknowledge him, continuing to teach as he left the vehicle.

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Three hours later, Tristan set down his blade dramatically, turning his Jack-O-Lantern around to show the others. "Behold, the symbol of the Mandalorians!" he announced, showing them what looked like an animal skull with tusks coming out the side. "Let's see yours."

Alice and David turned theirs around, showing their designs. David had made a rough outline of a skull and crossbones, Alice had gone for the traditional jagged evil grin and pointed eyes. Tristan nodded, rubbing his chin as he walked around the table, examining them like an art critic. "Mm, yes… very exquisite. Expert cuts around the mouth here, and this skull speaks to me. It's saying, 'Boo.'" David laughed at this. "I rate these master pieces each a 9.6 out of ten." Alice stuck out her bottom lip and Tristan placed his hand over his heart. "Ah, but cute artists as well? That grants an additional .4 points. 10 out of 10, remarkable workmanship." He said, giving them a golf clap

Tristan handed his to Alice. "Why don't you guys go find a stable place in the RV to put these? When it gets dark later we can light them up, it'll be even spookier." he said, waggling his eyebrows and drawing a laugh from the kids.

As the kids set up the jack-o-lanterns, John waved Tristan, Sakura, and Ryan over. "Alright," he said as they reached him. "We're good on food, Jared's manor had a lot of stuff we could keep for awhile. Thing is, we're incredibly low on medicine, and ammo is running low again."

"Alec and I scavenged half the town in the past two days, It's been picked clean." Ryan said. "We need to move on."

"That's what I was thinking." John replied. He turned to tristan. "You have a map of known settlements, right? Places you've found and heard about?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. There's actually one just outside Trenton. And New Jersey is only a couple hours away. It's not settled last I heard, but it's supposed to be an abandoned refugee camp. Lot's of goodies. Guy I ran into said it's overrun though, so I left it alone. We should be able to clean it out together though."

John nodded, marking it on his map when Ryan chimed in. "What about Times Square? They're huge, and it's not that much farther than Trenton."

Tristan raised his eyebrow. Ryan was doing an excellent job hiding it, but he had been trained to spot even the slightest hint of fear and desperation when he was interrogating someone. And Ryan sounded afraid. "Didn't Alec get kicked out of there? Besides, that's another three hour drive. It's going to take at least five to reach Trenton, and it's already 3:00. Trenton is our best bet."

"But… but you said it's overrun! And we're already running low on ammo… Alec can hide while we trade with them." Ryan argued.

"We don't have anything to trade. All we have is food, and since our group keeps growing I think it's wise to keep any food we find." John shot back. "Look, we can handle a horde. Tristan, Sakura and I can run in their with some blades and cut them down, so long as there aren't any tanks there we should be fine."

Ryan looked like he was about to argue when Sakura intervened. "Look it's the same way to New York and Trenton anyway. We can discuss this more while we drive, but Tristan's right. If we don't leave now we're going to have to drive during night time. And we all know that's a shitty idea. Let's move." The others nodded in agreement, aside from Ryan who was still looking pale. He sighed, heading for the mustang as the other's started packing up.

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Jaina stared out of the window of the mustang as Ryan followed the RV into New Jersey. Every now and then she would glance over at her friend, and every time he was gripping the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip, tense and nervousness etched into his face. Her gaze moved to Rachel, who was constantly fidgeting and squirming nervously, wide eyed. Finally, after over four hours of driving she sighed. "Okay, what's going on with you two? Why are you so nervous about going to Trenton?"

"Nothing." Ryan snapped, hard eyed. "I just think it's a bad idea to tackle this camp."

Jaina raised an eyebrow, and looked at rachel in the backseat. "And what about you? Why are you so spooked?"

"I agree with Ryan. It's a bad idea." She answered.

Ryan took a deep breath, flexing his fingers. Then he grabbed the radio. "Tristan, how far out of Trenton is this camp?"

"About three miles out of the city, in some woods." Came his answer.

"So we're not actually going through Trenton?" he confirmed.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Just making sure. So how much long… oh, fuck me!" He cried out. The RV had stopped, the APC stopping behind it. There was a massive blockade formed by overturned cars, Tristan was examining it now. He hopped out of the car and ran over. "Is there any way around it?"

"No." Tristan stated grimly. "Sakura vaulted over, there's a maze of cars and trucks on the other side. Entire highway is blocked off." he glanced sideways at ryan. "The only other way we can get to the camp is through Trenton."

Ryan paled at this. "Th-there's no other way?"

Tristan stared at him for a moment before answering. "No. There's not." Another pause. "Ryan, come with me. We're taking the mustang to scout ahead, make sure there's a good path for the biggest cars to follow." Ryan started to shake his head when Tristan grabbed his arm and led him to the mustang. "Rachel, Jaina, go with the others. Ryan and I are going on ahead."

Rachel looked at Ryan in worry, but he merely shook his head as he allowed himself to be set into the passenger seat as Tristan pulled the top down to seat him at the machine gun. Tristan started the car, pulling off the highway while the others got ready to follow.

As they drove through the city, Ryan dropped rocks on the blackened roads to mark the path for the others. After they had driven a ways, Tristan stopped the car. "Mind telling me what the hell is going on with you and Rachel?"

Ryan sighed heavily. "Bad memories. That's all. Just keep driving, I want to get all this over with, then get the hell out of New Jersey."

"Bad memories wouldn't make you pale and sweaty. Bad memories wouldn't make a guy like you this afraid. You're a little scrawny, but your tough. There's something here you're avoiding." He argued. "Look I try to respect your guys' privacy, mostly because I demand the same. But I'm worried about you."

Ryan finally looked him in the eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it. "I…"

"Ryan, please. You're like a brother to me by now. Talk to me."

Those words convinced Ryan. "You need to keep this between us, alright?" Tristan nodded. He sighed again, and started to tell Tristan about his and Rachel's history in the abandoned city.

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Nearly an hour and a half later, the rest of the group caught up to Tristan and Ryan. Dusk was falling, the sky painted red as day gave way to night. The two were waiting by a tunnel, leaning against the outside of the car. Ella leaned her head out of the Impala's window. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. We were just waiting for you guys to catch up." Tristan answered. "The tunnel will take us to another road, it's a bit longer but we should still reach the camp by 9:30 at the latest."

John stopped the APC. "Longer? Why aren't we going through the rest of the city? We're risking our necks out here if we keep travelling during the night!"

"We're risking our necks anyway. Besides, we went a bit further ahead. There's a tank about about twenty blocks away, and I'm not in the mood to try and fight it. It's just an extra hour, we'll be fine."

John huffed, but didn't argue any further. Jaina got out of the RV, passing Tristan as she went to join Ryan. As they passed, she grabbed his arm. "He told you what's up with him. What's got him and Rachel so spooked?"

"Not my place to say. Ask him." He responded, moving for the RV. "But from now on we're avoiding the city."

She frowned as he entered the vehicle, but proceeded to get in with Ryan as he started the mustang. He looked tired, worn out. She decided not to pry for now, but she intended to figure out what was making him so anxious, and hopefully find a way to make him feel better.

Though as they went through the tunnel, the man on top of the nearby building with a sniper rifle, watching them went unnoticed. After he could no longer see them, he raised his walkie. "Hey, Nath. We got a group headed for our camp. And I think I saw that guy you were telling us to watch for."

A gruff voice that sounded like gravel came over the other end. "Are you sure?"

"Yessir."

"Pull the men out of the camp, post them in the woods around it. Let's draw the fuckers in."

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Night had fallen completely by the time the camp fell into their sights. Tristan frowned as he stopped the RV, the others falling suit. He got out, grabbing his rifle and peering through the scope. He had changed back into his regular clothes by now, as had Alice and David. John and Ryan approached him, looking at him questioningly. "That doesn't look overrun…" he said aloud. "But it doesn't look inhabited either… In fact it looks like all the loot is still there. No one's taken it."

"So there's not a single zombie?" Ryan asked. Tristan ignored him as he observed the surrounding area, looking into the trees and bushes. "Damnit, it's too dark. Can't tell if there's an ambush or not."

John took out some binoculars and peered through them. "It doesn't look like anyone's been there for awhile. And all those supplies are just sitting out."

"Which just makes it all the more suspicious. If there's no zombies to turn people away, then why the hell is all that crap still there?"

"If there was a group big enough to properly take advantage of that camp, we'd see guards." Jaina chimed in.

Tristan humphed. "I'm going to scout ahead with Diego. The rest of you set up camp, I'm just going to look around. We'll worry about stripping the camp of supplies if we can in the morning." He didn't give them a chance to answer, running off into the trees, Diego on his heel. The others watched until he went out of sight, then went to work setting up for the night.

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The man sighed as he kept his scope on the camp. Nathaniel had told them to evacuate nearly two and a half hours ago, yet no sign of shit so far.

All of a sudden he heard a gun click, and a whisper. "Make one noise and I blow your brains all over the bushes." he raised his hands, dropping his gun as he allowed himself to be led to where ever he was being taken. Finally he was spun around to see a pissed off Indiana Jones aiming a gun at his head. "I am going to ask you questions. You will answer them. Understand?" He nodded frantically. "Who are you people?"

"O-our leader calls us the Enforcers." he stammered. The man raised an eyebrow. "H-he calls us that cause we're the l-law around here."

"And who is your leader?" The man demanded.

"N-Nathanial." At the name the man's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. Then his face warped into a furious scowl.

"Alright. Rapid fire. Is this an ambush? Does your boss know about my group? And do you have people closing on them?"

"Yes! Y-yes, this is an ambush, I mean. Yes, he knows! And yes, there are people closing in on your friends! We wanted to split you up by drawing a group into the camp, and then killing the rest!" He answered desperately.

The man cursed, turning away from the man for a second. "Fuck! How many?! How many of you are there?!"

"A-around four hundred!" The man was cursing loudly now. "S-so, can I go?"

The man froze, then turned back to him with a cold smile. "Yeah, you can go." Tristan drew his sword, cutting a gash into the man's neck, turning to Diego. "Let's move, we need to get back to the others."

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Sakura had gone off into the woods with Aaron and Rachel to gather that night's dinner. She glanced at Aaron, and sighed. "You're holding it wrong again." She grumbled, adjusting his grip. Aaron nodded his thanks. Sakura glanced back at Rachel, who was following them meekly. She had been silent ever since they had arrived to the town, not one word had escaped the girl, despite Sakura's multiple attempts to get her to talk to her. She frowned in concer, but whipped around to see a deer leap into their path. She grinned, drawing an arrow from the quiver and aiming. It was more of a strain to use the bow, but she found that it was a lot more accurate and efficient than her old crossbow. She had grown fond of using it, and over the past month had always volunteered to go hunting to practice.

Before she could shoot, however, Aaron grabbed her arm. "W-who's that?" he whispered, pointing behind them. Sakura turned, then her eyes widened as she saw a trio of men sneaking through the trees back to their camp. She grabbed Rachel's and Aaron's arms, pulling him down. "They haven't seen us yet." She muttered. "But they're heading back to our camp…"

Gunshots rang out, and the trio started running. Rachel cursed, Sakura dragging Aaron along behind her as they ran back to camp.

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The rest of the group sat patiently by the fire, talking and getting ready for bed. Elizabeth had the kids listening to a lecture on history, Ryan sat by himself by the fire, aimlessly moving logs around with a poker and sending embers flying.

Jaina sat next to Ryan as he poked at the fire. "I know you keep dodging the topic, but I'm worried about you. What's going on?"

He was still silent for a fews seconds. "This town is where I grew up." He said slowly. "And you know I had… father troubles." He spat out. "I've associated this town with so many bad memories. And if you think I'm messed up right now, God, I can't even imagine what Rachel is feeling right now. She had it the worst when we were growing up."

Jaina cringed, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it'll be alright. We'll loot the camp, then we'll have gotten the hell out of New Jersey this time tomorrow." She said, flashing him a smile. He smiled in return, grateful for her touch.

Then Dani cried out in pain. Blood spurted from her shoulder as it was ripped open, followed by the sound of a sniper shot. She fell to the ground, clutching her shoulder as Tyson raced to her in a panic. Meanwhile everyone else leapt into action. Elizabeth hurried the kids into the RV, managing to tear Tyson away from Dani to get him to safety. Mike and Amber helped carry Dani inside, and everyone else got behind cover as bullets started coming in from all directions.

John cocked a shotgun, and got up to fire in the direction of a hail of fire. He heard a scream, and two men fell out of the tree while others scattered to a new location as Alec and Connor shot who they could.

Ella crawled over to John as she reloaded her glock, peeking over the overturned table to fire into the bushes, managing to hit one before ducking back down. Jaina and Ryan sat side by side as they shot into the woods. They were firing blindly, only knowing that they hit anything by screams and bodies falling from cover. John cursed as the table's corner exploded next to his head from another sniper shot, ducking down before he could get hit.

Ella gasped and pointed behind the camp, in the direction where Tristan had gone. A jeep with a turret was advancing, and the men inside opened fire. They scrambled for cover, Alec cursing as his side was grazed by a shot. Then his leg was hit, and he went down.

Connor gasped, and John instinctively grabbed his arm before he ran out to save his boyfriend. Connor glared at him, shoving John away before running into the firefight. By some miracle he never got hit as he dragged Alec to safety behind the RV.

Now everyone was wedged in between the RV and APC, unable to stick their heads out on either side without coming under fire. John raised his shotgun as a trio came around the side, when two of them went down, one by an arrow in the eye and the other by a sniper shot.

Sakura and Rachel were hiding in the bushes, thanking God they had brought long range weapons to cover their friends. Sakura noticed movement on the other side of the field, and to her relief saw Tristan shoot out of the woods, he and Diego running full speed for the camp. He drew his sniper rifle, sniping as he ran, managing to take down six men before kneeling behind a rock to get a better aim as he covered his friends.

John took this opportunity to grab a grenade from the APC and chucking it into the woods. He grinned in satisfaction as nearly ten bodies flew out of the woods from the blast, and who knows how many others he killed with the frags. Sakura loosed arrow after arrow, Tristan and Rachel offering their sharpshooting skills and taking down anyone who got too close to the camp.

Jaina had loaded herself up with clips. She took a deep breath, raising her twin pistols and rolling out into the open. She sat up, fired once, twice. Two down. Dodge the oncoming fire, fired three times more and killed three more men. She turned around, shooting the two men and then turning again to shoot one coming in from the side. She turned to the woods and fired, again, again, again, again, again. Six more down. She used the last two bullets in each clip to take down two who had tried sneaking up behind her, then ducked behind cover to reload. She looked up and paled as the jeep rolled up, the turret pointed straight at her. Then Diego leapt into the vehicle, tearing out the throat of the gunner. She grinned, shooting the driver and passenger as Diego killed two more in the back.

Ryan focused on defending the area the rest of the group was huddled in with Ella, killing anyone who came around the corners of the vehicles. At one point five men swarmed them with clubs and knives, and Corporal leapt in to save Ella from being stabbed, biting down on the man's arm as she stabbed him instead, then the dog tackled another and clawed at his eyes. Connor knelt over a groaning Alec, switching between tending to his wounds and helping Ryan and Ella shoot.

Mike had come out of the RV with Amber, both of whom had pistols and offered suppressive fire wherever needed. A man came up behind Amber, grabbing her. Mike whipped around, shooting the man between the eyes and catching Amber as she started to fall with the corpse. She nodded in thanks, shooting a man who ahd come up behind Mike.

Tristan scowled as he reloaded. His group was good, _really_ good, but there he doubted they could fend off over four hundred men, not when they were in their territory. They had only beaten Marlo because they had the element of surprise and preparation, and they had released all those prisoners to help. He could tell from here they were losing, despite everyone's efforts the enemy was advancing. He sniped four men before raising his walkie. "John, Sakura, Ryan. I interrogated one of their men, they have over four hundred people. We're losing."

Sakura's voice came on. "Then we should surrender. Just for now, catch our breath and maybe draw them all out. Or at least come up with a game plan."

John snapped the neck of an assailant and threw the other one on top of the fire. "Are you insane?! They'll kill us!"

"Fuck that. I'm not giving into these asshats." Tristan growled, sniping three more.

"Think with your heads!" Sakura snapped. "We. Are. Losing!" She shot another arrow, taking down another sneaker. "Surrendering is our only option!"

"Or, now hear me out, we kill them all and take their shit." Tristan argued. "Sakura they have no intention of letting us live. Either we die like cowards and kneeling in front of them, or we die fighting. And I prefer to go down kicking ass."

"Agreed. We stick it out, and either kill them all, or die trying." John added, blocking a punch and snapping another neck.

"You guys…" Sakura groaned, before Aaron cried out in warning, giving Sakura enough time to turn around and embed an arrow in the eye of a woman who had discovered their location. "Shit! They found our spot!"

Aaron looked around wildly, then his eyes widened. He pointed. "See that tree? The one that's leaning? Its right over a bunch of them!"

Sakura looked where he was pointing, and grinned. "Nice spot!" She raised her walkie. "Guys, there's a tree that looks like it's about to fall right over a lot of them, I'm guessing thirty at the least. I think it just needs a little _push_."

Ryan came on over his radio. "I'm on it." He ran out from the space they were holed up in, Ella covering him and keeping the enemies' heads down. He reached the tree, and to his delight Michael had run to join him. He stepped back a few feet, then he and Mike both took a running start and jumped into the tree. It shook, the roots coming up even further off of the ground. All it needed was to be cut. He drew his knife, and started sawing at the roots, one by one they snapped, and soon the tree started shaking and slowly falling. He and Mike pushed up on the bottom, and the tree fell, the screams following a second later as their attackers were crushed.

Mike grinned, holding up a hand for a high five, which Ryan happily supplied. Mike looked down the cliff at the limbs sticking out from underneath the wood. "If that didn't kill him, it sure as hell put them out of commision!"

Ryan nodded, grabbing his gun. "No time to celebrate, we need to get back into the fight." He led his companion back to the vehicles, shooting into the bushes as they ducked back behind the vehicles. Tristan had made it into the camp, and had his sword out, cutting down anyone who dared draw near. Sakura had come down as well, and joined him with her own sword.

All of a sudden, a loud, piercing whistle rang out over the fire. "Hold your fire!" A booming voice resonated. The fire ceased, and the group stared in suspicion at the treeline. Ryan paled as a man stepped out. "No, NO!" He had frozen, paralyzed and gaping as the man drew near. "Wh-What the fuck! What the fuck are you doing here?!" he demanded.

The man chuckled, but it was cold and mirthless. "Now Ryan…" He stopped in front of the group, flanked by a dozen or so of his men. He was dressed in a biker get up, jacket, chaps and all, with black combat boots and cargo pants. He was tall, with the build of a bear. But what was horrifyingly intriguing was his face. His sandy hair was trimmed in a crew cut, with a rough stubble covering the bottom of his face. He had hard blue eyes, with a scar along his jawline. He looked like an older, carbon copy of… Ryan. "Is that any way to speak to your father?"

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 **HAHAHAHA CLIFFHANGER! Happy Halloween everybody!**


	30. Arrivals,,,

**Hello readers! I wanted to take the time to wish you all a Happy Halloween. May it be full of candy and terror and spoopy skeletons.**

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" _Just keep breathing Sarah, we're almost at the hospital!" Nathaniel said, squeezing his wife's hand as she groaned in pain. He turned to the taxi driver. "Damnit can't you go any faster?!"_

 _The driver glared at him in annoyance. "I've told you five times now. I can't break the law. If I get pulled over for running a red light that's just more time wasted."_

 _Nathaniel growled, but Sarah squeezed his hand back reassuringly. "Calm down baby, just think about what we're going to have after this is all over."_

 _Her husband smirked. "I'm supposed to be comforting_ you _." he responded. The cab shot through the streets as quickly as the driver dared to go. He grinned as the hospital came into view. "Almost there, baby." A tear formed in his eye as he anticipated the future. He was going to be a father. And he couldn't be more excited._

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Everyone but Tristan's jaws dropped in shock. Nathaniel smirked at his glaring son. "Twelve years." He said, pursing his lips in amusement. "I have been looking for you for twelve years. I had a feeling you were still alive, just never thought you'd be stupid enough to come back here."

"I'm surprised you've been able to stay sober enough to survive." Ryan shot back with venom etched into his words.

Nathaniel's expression contorted into one of anger. "Watch it, boy. You remember what happened the last time you spoke to me that way?"

"Yeah. You jammed a broken beer bottle into your son's shoulder after you had been beating your daughter." he growled. Ryan's friends stayed rooted to their spots, weapons raised in case things turned violent again, but watching the exchange in silence.

Nathaniel glared at his son, then let out a booming laugh. "I've always been disappointed in your puny ass, but I always admired the fire you had in you. Glad to see it's still there."

Ryan scowled. "What the hell are you doing here? And what's with attacking us?"

"Same as everyone else, I'm surviving. And you're supposed to be smart, the reason I attacked you should be blatantly obvious." He grinned a shark toothed grin. "I wanted to see my baby boy and girl."

"Don't bullshit me! You want to kill us!" Ryan shouted, getting into his father's face. "I'm not a scrawny teenager any more. And you've only gotten older."

Nathaniel responded by shoving Ryan to the ground so fast he didn't have time to react. His head bounced off the ground, and Jaina dove to help him up as Nathaniel laughed again. "Ya still seem scrawny to me, boy. You always have been."

Ryan stared in defiance at his father as he took a step to grab his son. Then Nathaniel was pushed back, and Tristan, John, Sakura, and Jaina formed a wall between him and Ryan as he got up. "You fuck with Ryan…" Tristan growled.

"…You fuck with all of us." Jaina finished.

"And that's something I would advise against doing." Sakura threatened. "Back. Off."

Nathaniel brushed himself off, smirking. "Well, I see you managed to make some friends. They won't save you though."

While the standoff went on, Aaron was trying to silently rouse the paralyzed Rachel. As soon as Nathaniel had appeared, she had gone rigid, the only sign of life her trembling eyes and the tears streaming down her cheeks. He tried shaking her shoulder again, then backed off as she started shaking. "H-he's s-supposed to be d-dead…" She stammered, her rifle shaking. "H-he was s-supposed to n-never sh-show up ag-gain…"

Aaron looked around nervously. "Rachel, we need to stay quiet." he whispered. "We're completely surrounded…"

"HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD!" she screamed. She glared through her scope, and fired.

Her inability to calm her trembling hand proved to be enough to fail the shot. Down below, the shot whizzed past Nathaniel's head, kicking up dirt as it slammed into the ground. He whipped around to face where the shot had come from, grinning. "So, the murderer is still alive too…"

Ryan let out a cry of rage as he flew at his father. "I won't let you touch her!" He growled as he started wildly attacking his father. Nathaniel stumbled against the initial attack, but quickly recovered and began blocking every attack.

Guns started going off again, and Tristan managed to grab Ryan and heave him towards the RV. "Cover us while everyone starts up the vehicles!" John barked, climbing into the APC. Tristan, Sakura, and Jaina kept the Enforcers at bay while the others ran for the vehicles, starting them up. Ella kept Ryan in the RV as he tried to get back outside to attack Nathaniel.

Tristan weaved in and out of the battle, making his way towards Nathaniel. He let out a roar as he brought down his blade, but to his surprise Nathaniel dodged and landed a quick jab to Tristan's side. He shoved Tristan away and drew a long knife. He dodged another slash, trying to stab Tristan but was parried. "You're fighting a former Marine, son. I can promise you won't win."

Tristan clashed his blade against the dagger, grinning. "And _you_ are fighting a Navy SEAL. Surprise surprise." he growled, drawing away to lunge forward.

Nathaniel sidestepped, growling in annoyance. "Tell you what, turn over my son and I'll kill you and your group quickly."

"How about you fuck off and die?" Tristan shot back as he brought his sword down. They were interrupted by Ryan firing from the window of the RV as everyone finished getting into the vehicles. He was mad eyed, wanting nothing else but to see the man dead in the dirt. Nathaniel shoved Tristan away, getting behind cover as he returned fire, his shots coming dangerously close to killing Ryan, who ducked back into the RV, narrowly missing a shot as the bullet whizzed over his head, slamming into the wall inside and making the kids and Elizabeth scream.

Tristan got up to return the attack, then spotted Aaron struggling to get a violently struggling Rachel to the Mustang. He saw Tristan, and stared with pleading eyes. "I can't get her to move!" He shouted across the battlefield. Tristan raced over, killing three more men as he reached them, scooping Rachel into his arms and running her to the idling Mustang, ignoring her beating against his chest. He tossed her into the backseat, Aaron diving into passenger as Mike started the car and started driving.

Everyone else was clear, and John was waving Tristan to the RV, Sakura holding the door open as he jumped in and immediately started driving.

The convoy made it out onto the road, driving back to the city in hopes they could evade Nathaniel and his men in the sea of trucks and cars in the streets. But they were quickly caught up to by a wave of motorcycles, their engines roaring as they effortlessly caught up to the vehicles. Mike slapped Aaron on the back, gesturing to the machine gun Ryan had welded to the back. Aaron gulped, shakily grabbing the handle and aiming as Jaina did the same on top if the APC. He yelped as he opened a quick burst of fire, whooping as he managed to hit a biker, sending him down the grassy hill next to the road. He swiveled around, firing in bursts to save ammo, managing to hit a couple bikers. Then he screamed as shots came over his head, ducking down to avoid getting shot. Jaina covered him, trying to shoot anyone with guns. Then she cursed as a stray bullet hit the turret's barrel, going into the firing mechanism. Now if she tried firing she ran the risk of the bullet going backwards. Defeated, she went back into the armored vehicle's cabin.

Then the Impala veered off the road. A trio of bikes rode up next to it, shooting at the tires. One popped, and Ella fought to control the crash as she aimed for a relatively clear patch in the woods. She cursed as she bumped into a tree, the airbags deploying and slamming her head against the headrest, Tyson shielding Dani's unconscious body with his own.

Back in the RV, Tristan handed the wheel to Sakura, a grim look on his face as he made his way to the door. "Get somewhere safe." he ordered.

Ryan looked up from the couch. "And where are you going?"

"No one gets left behind." He growled, swinging the door open, Sakura slowing the vehicle down enough for him to leap out, landing in the grass and letting his body roll. He stood up, relatively unscathed as he aimed his DMR and started to fire as he ran for the crash.

Ella was barely conscious as she was dragged out of the Impala, almost not noticing the spray of blood as the man dragging her suddenly crumpled to the ground, Tristan having put a bullet through his head. All around the vehicle the attackers either fell dead or ran for cover. Tyson dragged Dani out of the car, Ella fighting to regain her senses. A man grabbed Tyson's arm, and she whipped around, drawing her gun and shooting him between the eyes. She squinted, taking her time aiming, her vision and head were still fuzzy. She was grabbed from behind, and Tristan slammed into him like a freight train knocking a bicycle to the side.

He helped Ella to her feet, looping an arm around Dani's shoulder, Tyson doing the same on the other side. Ella took Tristan's place so he could fight while they got to safety. He drew his katana, duel wielding it and his pistol as he killed anyone who came too close.

Ella ducked them down as they came under fire. She cursed as Dani's blood started seeping through the impromptu tourniquet, Tristan vaulting over the log to join them behind cover. Then they paled as they heard a roar. "Shiiiiit." He groaned, a tank bursting out of the trees, the screams of the Enforcers following. He peeked out from behind cover as it picked up cars from the road, hurling them around and biting anyone it could grab. He turned to Ella and Tyson. "Go through the woods. Find the others. Take my walkie." He said, unhooking it from his belt and handing it to them. "I'll make sure the tank doesn't follow you guys."

Ella looked down at the walkie. "And how will _you_ find _us_?"

"I'll manage. Send Diego to find me, but just go!" he ordered, looking back at the rampaging tank. "That's an order! Move!"

Tyson obediently stood up, Ella reluctantly helping him carry Dani into the woods. Tristan looked back at the scene, smiling to himself. Maybe they'd get lucky and the tank would kill everyone.

Then his jaw dropped as Nathaniel appeared on the most souped up Harley he'd ever seen, a rocket launcher on his back. He stopped the bike, aiming the launcher and firing. He whistled, and the tank turned to face him, but instead received the explosive directly to it's face. Fire fell through the air, metal shrapnel flying everywhere as the tank fell dead, it's head obliterated.

Tristan scowled as Nathaniel tossed the launcher into the back of a parked jeep, rallying his men. "Don't just stand there, move out! They couldn't have gone far!"

Tristan took a deep breath. He smiled as he decided on the proper song as he leapt out from behind the log, immediately decapitating one of the Enforcers. "Fight with blood!" He shot another as he dodged a swing from a bat, stabbing the attacker. "Fight with steel!" A clang as he clashed against dual wielded daggers, shooting his opponent in the gut. "Die with honor," he jumped behind a tree as he came under fire, coming out the other side to return fire. " _Never yield!_ " he sang, vaulting over the Impala's hood to stab another man, immediately turning to shoot a woman. "Fearless hearts! Filled with pride!" He turned to face Nathaniel, grinning. "Into glory, _we shall ride!_ " He lunged, going to stab the man. Nathaniel sidestepped him, bringing his elbow down on Tristan's back. Tristan kept his grin, still singing as he turned to deliver a punch toi Nathaniel's gut. "Fight with blood, fight with steeeeel!" he headbutted Nathaniel, standing up to elbow him in the chest. "Die with honoooor, _ne-ver yield!_ "

Nathaniel stumbled to the ground, Tristan planting a cocky grin on his face. "Fearless…"

"For fucks sake, shut the hell up!" Nathaniel growled, shooting back up and tackling Tristan. He pinned him to the ground, wrestling him and eventually rolling Tristan onto his stomach to pin his arm behind him. "So…" he huffed. "…What's a soldier like you doing with a wimp like my son?" he taunted.

Tristan growled in response, throwing his head back, catching Nathaniel on his chin. He turned to punch him, then cried out as Nathaniel grabbed his fist and crushed it his own bear-paw-sized fist. Tristan cringed, fighting through the pain as he kicked out at Nathaniel's knee, bringing him down so he could right hook his jaw. Nathaniel was dazed for only a moment, retaliating by grabbing Tristan's throat. Tristan gasped, bringing his foot up and pushing Nathaniel away long enough to roll over and get back on his feet. As he turned to face his opponent, however, a loud crunch hit his ears, the sound registering before the pain as Nathaniel drew a tire iron, whacking him in the back of the head. Then he lost consciousness, the Enforcers gathering around as Nathaniel looked down on Tristan, unimpressed. "Spread out, find the two girls and the boy. You can never have too many _hostages_." he hissed, followed by a booming, dark laugh that reached Ella and Tyson as they hurriedly dragged Dani through the woods.

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 _Nathaniel pushed people aside as he dragged Sarah to the front desk. "My wife is going into labor!" He shouted._

 _The nurse acted quickly, and within seconds a group of doctors were loading his wife onto a stretcher and made their way for the maternity ward, Nathaniel anxiously following along, never leaving his wife's side._

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Alec gritted his teeth as John dug in his leg for the bullet, Connor gripping his shoulder to comfort him.

They had found a parking lot that was filled with trailers and RV's, and decided on it to hide. The APC was hidden among the vehicles, the Mustang inconspicuous. Sakura was talking Ella through the directions over the walkie, nervously twisting her hair. Amber watched her sister delve deeper into distress every time she asked if Tristan had joined them, and each time received a no is response.

And all the while Ryan and Rachel had requested to be left alone. At the moment they sat in the Mustang, speaking to each other. More than once the others could see Ryan pull his sister into a hug as she sobbed.

After what felt like an eternity, Ella and Tyson carried Dani into the lot. She was immediately placed down in front of John, Alec pushing his hand away as he prepared to disinfect the wound. "She's losing a lot of blood. Help her first."

John nodded, moving his attention to the unconscious woman. "Tyson, I need you to get off of her."

Tyson hesitated, not removing his arms from his sister. "I don't want to leave her, she needs me…"

"To get off of her so I can operate." John interrupted. "I know you're scared, but I need to fix her wound, and I can't do that if you don't let me get to it."

He took a shuddering breath, then nodded, moving away so john could begin to work. Amber squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, then walked over to Sakura and Ella, the latter of whom was telling the story of what happened after the crash. "Less than a minute after we left, there was an explosion and the tank stopped roaring. Then there were gunshots, yelling, singing…"

"Singing? So he survived." Sakura commented, relieved.

Ella bit her lip. "I don't know, the gunshots cut out before we were out of earshot. I think that if he wasn't killed, he was captured."

Sakura paled at this. "M-maybe he escaped, ran…"

"Tristan wouldn't run." John commented as he wrapped up Dani's shoulder. "He's fight till' he killed everyone, or died in the process. Or, as Ella suggested, was incapacitated and captured."

"I'm betting that's what happened." Ryan chimed in. Everyone looked at him in surprise as he walked up from the Mustang. His eyes had darkened, and he looked like a bad mixture of angry and tired, giving him a sullen, sunken look. "He wanted something to trade for me and Rachel. Tristan ended up being his bargaining chip."

John had finished tending to Dani, and Connor had taken over dressing Alec's wound, so he stood to join the others. "Mind explaining why your dad wants to kill you?"

Ryan hesitated, then Jaina gripped his shoulder. "You can tell us. We want to help you Ry."

He looked at Jaina, and offered a small smile before sighing and facing everyone. "He was an abusive alcoholic. And he especially hated Rachel."

"Why? What did she ever do?" Mike asked.

"She was born." Ryan spat. "Our mom, she… died. And he blames her. So when he started taking care of us, he beat her. I started hiding her from him, taking the hits."

"Is that what this is from?" Jaina asked, trailing her finger on the scar beneath his shirt on his shoulder.

"Yes. That's from the day we escaped him. I smashed a lamp over his head, and we stole his mustang, and started living on our own in the city." he answered.

John whistled. "You smashed a lamp over his head? Damn."

"The prick had it coming." he growled. He smirked. "We knew he wouldn't contact the police to try and find us, he could go to jail for everything he did to us. We had escaped him, and we lived poorly, but happily until Z-Day. I guess it was wishful thinking he would have died from the infection."

Jaina scowled. "Well, we're not letting this bastard anywhere near the two of you. He's going down."

"Correction. You're not letting him anywhere near Rachel. I'm going to personally see to it that he never hurts her again." He responded.

Jaina grinned, slapping his back. "That's the spirit! We'll kick his ass."

John nodded in agreement. "But first, we need to figure out how to get Trist…"

"Guys, we have company!" Aaron hissed, peering down from the top of the RV. He had been put on guard duty.

John drew his gun, Sakura pulling out her sword, and everyone pulling out their respective weapons. They ran to the front of the lot, to see a group of very terrified, and malnourished, looking people. "We surrender!" They cried out in unison, throwing up their hands.

They lowered their weapons. "Who are you people?" Sakura asked.

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 _Sarah screamed, Nathaniel cringing as she crushed his hand. "Just keep breathing and pushing, breathing and pushing…" He chanted. He glared at the doctor. "I thought she was on painkillers!"_

" _Sir, please don't shout at me. And she is, but they're not very powerful." The doctor replied cooly. "Alright, here comes the head…"_

 _Nathaniel's scowl warped into a grin as the doctor slowly pulled out his son. The doctor smiled up at him. "Would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" he nodded, taking the surgical scissors, and cutting the cord in two. He took his baby boy, cradling him as he moved to his tired but beaming wife's side. "Our baby boy…" She breathed._

 _Nathaniel nodded, crying with happiness. "I bet he's gonna be a soldier, just like his old man. Look at how big he is."_

 _Sarah laughed. "Let's get through the diapers and breastfeeding before we send him off to war." They both laughed at this, Nathaniel rocking his son back on forth. "So Ryan, welcome to the world."_

 _The doctor cleared his throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but the second one is on it's way."_

 _They whipped to face him in shock. "Second?!"_

 _The doctor looked at them in confusion. "You… didn't know there was a second?"_

" _Do we_ look _like we knew there was a second?!" Nathaniel snapped._

" _Nath, this is a good thing!" his wife said weakly. "Is it a boy or girl?" When the doctor responded that it was a girl, her grin grew. "Our little Ryan is going to have a sister… Rachel."_

 _Nathaniel looked at his frail wife in worry. "Can you handle it? You look like you're about to pass out."_

 _She nodded, then screamed as she started to deliver their second child. Then the doctor's face paled. "Th-there seems to be a problem… oh no, WE NEED A SURGEON IN HERE!"_

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John raised his gun again. "We're not in the mood to be fuucked with, now answer the damn question!"

They pushed on of the men forward, and he gulped. "L-look, please! Nathaniel d-doesn't need to know ab-bout this, we were j-just desperate for s-supplies! We weren't going to meet the quota, so w-we had to…" he stammered.

Sakura raised a hand. "Wait a minute, you guys know Nathaniel?" he man raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sakura helped him to his feet, John lowering his gun. "What do you know about him?"

The man glanced nervously at each of them. "Y-you're… you're not Enforcers?"

Ryan shook his head. "Just the opposite. We want Nathaniel and his men _dead_." He growled.

This seemed to boost the man's confidence. "Oh. W-well, I'm George. George Steiner. I was sent by our group to lead a team to scavenge for supplies." he introduced himself, gesturing to his frightened comrades.

"You mentioned a quota? What's that all about?" Ella asked.

A woman in the group scowled. "That prick and his gang have our town by the balls. They make us hand over half the supplies we get every month, and they kill everyone who opposes them. And we're not the only ones, the entire state is run by these assholes."

"The entire state? So there are other camps of Enforcers." John remarked.

"Yeah, but the one here in Trenton is the main one, that's why they ahve so many guys. The other smaller camps are only like twenty men per camp, but they have enough power to keep their assigned town in check." George explained. "All in all, the Enforcers probably rack up to nearly eight hundred men and women."

Sakura turned to the others. "Why are we just hearing about this now? This seems like it's big enough that it would show up on our radar."

"Because no one is allowed to talk, or to leave." George answered. "Us simply being out of the town here would be enough for Nathaniel to personally execute us. Us telling you about all of this would be grounds for us and our families to be tortured then killed."

"Exactly." Piped up an angry looking man. "So why the hell are we talking to these people? We're already risking enough as it is!"

"Because we're going to kill him." John growled. "Each and every one of them."

Ryan nodded. "Damn right we are. Soon enough you won't have to answer to him."

The woman from before scoffed. "People have tried before. Know where they are? They're dead! Burned and skinned and whipped and beaten, then finally shot."

Aaron leaned over the side of the RV he was on. "We took on Marlo, didn't we? And Jared, and Harper and Jessie…"

"I don't recall you being involved in those fights." John muttered. "But he's right. We've taken on big tough shits like Nathaniel before. We can do it again."

"Marlo was taken by surprise though. Jared was low on manpower. And Harper and Jessie's forces were confined to one fortress." Rachel said fearfully as she approached. "This… monster… he's spread out over the state. He knows we're here, and he's looking for us!"

Amber scowled. "So what? Let him come, we'll kick his ass!"

"You mean like we kicked his ass back at the refugee camp? Alec is out of commision, and Dani almost died! And now Tristan is God knows where." Aaron argued. "Guys, this seems like a suicide mission. I think we should get Tristan out of wherever he's being held, kill as many of them as we can, then get the hell out of New Jersey."

"Tristan wouldn't leave hostages behind." Sakura growled. "And neither will we. We will break him free, but then he's helping us take these fuckers down."

Sorano cleared her throat. "Sakura, honey, I hate to argue, but Aaron has a point. "We're in no condition to fight, and John said we were already low enough on ammo as it is. Not to mention we have children here, along with the few of us that can't fight."

Sakura turned to face her mother. "So? We can't just leave these people, it's wrong! They're prisoners, mom!"

The scavenger team watched as the group fell into an argument, then George spoke up. "Please, I know it's asking a lot, but if you have the ability to fight, you have to help us! We'd be willing to give you whatever you want, we just want to be free!"

Jaina stepped into the center of the group. "And we will help you. Look, guys, what's going on here is wrong. It's evil. Nathaniel has established his own little dictatorship. And I was trained to break dictatorships." She turned to the scowling Ryan. "We won't let him get away with this."

He nodded. "Then let's take care of him."

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 _Nathaniel had to be dragged out of the room by security as they started to operate on his wife. Once he was outside the room, he was released and he immediately shoved one of the guards to the wall. "I demand to know what's going on!"_

 _The guard was saved from his interrogation by the doctor coming out. "Mr. Mattson, your daughter was upside down in the room. And she has her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck." Nathaniel paled at his words. "I'm afraid we need to perform a C-Section. It's… it's unlikely Sarah will survive the operation."_

 _He cried out as Nathaniel grabbed him by the collar. "How unlikely?!" he demanded. "You're telling me my wife is going to_ die _?! I won't allow it!"_

" _Mr. Mattson…" the doctor replied, shooing the guards away as they were about to pry the two apart. "If we don't perform the surgery, your daughter will die. We can guarantee her survival."_

" _I've been married to that woman for ten years, and I've known her since we were kids! Now you get your ass in there, and you do everything in your power to make sure she survives!" he demanded, letting the doctor go and shoving him back into the room. He didn't even glance at his son as Sarah's mother cradled him on the bench behind him._

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Tristan followed Nathaniel with his eyes as he paced in front of him, tapping his tire iron on the ground as he walked. He continued this for almost an hour, simply watching Tristan as he paced. After ten minutes of this, Tristan started whistling to himself as he met Nathaniel's eyes with his own, after nearly forty minutes he dropped his gaze, becoming bored and focusing on his whistling.

"What's that song you're whistling?" Nathaniel asked after awhile. "Sounds familiar."

"Crucified. By Disturbed." He answered. "Only the best band of all time."

"I was always an AC/DC fan myself, but Disturbed was pretty good. I thought I heard Asylum a bit ago." He replied. "You listen to anything else?"

"A wide range. Hard rock and metal are my favorites, but I listen to Demi Lovato and Avril Lavigne, a few Jason Derulo songs… really everything except dubstep and the majority of rap."

Nathaniel nodded, having stopped to lean on a crate to talk. "I see you're a man of taste then. Never understood all that electronic shit. Good taste in jackets too, what is that?"

"People like what they like, I don't judge. And it's bullhide." He answered. "I almost got kangaroo skin, much tougher. But I liked the style of this one, and I couldn't find any kangaroo in black."

Nathaniel chuckled. "I see. Well this right here…" he patted his jacket sleeve "…is elephant hide. A birthday present from my dearly departed wife."

Tristan's mouth warped into a grin. "The wife that died in childbirth? The one whose children you beat?" Nathaniel's face instantly turned to rage, and he wasted no time in kicking Tristan in the jaw, but he only drew a laugh from the soldier. "Don't think I don't know what you were trying to do there. You were trying to get me to warm up to you. Get a conversation going." He leaned forward against his chains. "But I've seen the scars. I've heard Ryan's stories. And he's become my brother. He's become a brother to all of us. And not a single one of us would betray him for a monster like you." He started laughing wickedly again. "Especially not me. You can torture me, interrogate me, try and manipulate me. But I can take anything you throw at me. My sick ass might even enjoy some of it. And if Ryan doesn't kill you, I'll sure as hell skin you alive."

Nathaniel pursed his lips, studying Tristan, reading his face. "I actually believe that. So if all you're good for is a hostage, then there's no reason for you to keep your tongue."

"True. Maybe then I'd shut up, right? Or maybe I'd just make as much noise as possible just for the sake of pissing you off. Cause until you get more hostages, you won't risk killing me." he countered, his smug grin never dropping. "C'mon, show me whatcha got. Prove that you're as sadistic as Ryan says you are, I wanna see for myself if you're as fucked up as he says you are."

Nathaniel gritted his teeth, grabbing Tristan and heaving him up by his collar. "Believe me, you _do not_ want to see my bad side."

"You mean you have a good side? Cause all I'm seeing is an ugly ass…" he was cut off by a punch to the jaw, laughing again as Nathaniel started beating him. "H…har…"

Nathaniel grinned, leaning in. "What was that, precious? I couldn't quite hear you."

Tristan flashed him a bloody smile. "Harder…" Nathaniel scowled, smashing Tristan's head against the pole he was chained too and walking away, ignoring Tristan's heaving laughs. "You're fuckin' dead, mate. You're not coming out on top here."

Nathaniel spared him one last smirk before leaving. "I already have. You just haven't seen it yet."

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 _Nathaniel glared down at Sarah's grave. The funeral was long, full of emotions. But while everyone was dealing with grief, sadness, loss… he was filled only with rage. Rage at the doctor for letting his wife die. Rage at himself for not being able to save her. And rage at the brat who killed her._

 _He glared at the girl, who was crying in her grandmother's arms. She wasn't even crying because she lost her mother. She had no idea what she did. She probably just wanted a tit to suck on, and was throwing a tantrum because she was hungry at her own mother's funeral._

 _Adeline rose, walking over to Nathaniel. "I know this will be difficult for you." She said kindly, her wrinkled cheeks pulling into a sympathetic smile. "It's going to be hard for all of us to move on. I want you to know, you won't have to raise these kids alone. I'll gladly move in for the time being to help you."_

 _He grumbled incomprehensibly in response. He stared down into his own arms at his son. He didn't want two kids… he and Sarah had already been in a rough patch, what with her losing her job. They had already accepted that between the two of them raising one kid would be hard enough. Now he had to care for a daughter too, and he was the sole one working. Adeline was retired, she couldn't work. His scowl deepened. Why, why did his life have to be fucked over like this?!_

 _His eyes rose to the dark sky, his rage only growing._

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George had the group wait outside the gate as he and his team went inside their town. While they waited, they observed the walls. They looked to be sheets of solid steel, with barbed wire along the top and along the base, with a fence of sharpened pikes surrounding it. The purpose of those was clear, from the squirming zombies who had impaled themselves on the stakes. After a few minutes, the gate opened, and they hesitantly walked inside.

There was fewer people than they expected, Sakura guessed around fifty something. And every single one of them looked miserable. There were a few kids strutting around, looking tired and sad. The women were cooking food over spits, the men harvesting crops from a large garden in the middle of the camp. George looked crestfallen, and halfheartedly waved his hand to show them their dismal residence. "Welcome to our personal hell." he welcomed, sighing.

Alice walked over to a little boy sitting in the dirt, and her eyes welled up as she saw bruises and scratches on him and the other children, almost everyone in the camp was covered in scratches and marks, and they all had dirt caked into their clothes. "Where did you get those?" She asked.

The boy looked at her in surprise. "The bad men hit us." he answered shortly. His eyes widened further as Alice bent and gave him a hug.

John gazed around the camp. "Where are your weapons?"

"We have a handful of handguns for use against the zombies, but we can't have the big stuff. Risk of us fighting back and all." George answered sourly. "Other than that, we have to rely on our outside defenses."

Ryan scowled. "Even after all these years he's still hurting people." he muttered. He felt a pressure on his shoulder, and saw Jaina squeezing his shoulder in comfort. He felt a hand slip into his, Rachel was shaking as she clutched his hand. He squeezed hers in an attempt to comfort her.

They heard a pair of growls, and Diego and Corporal faced the agtes, growling. George paled. "They're coming! If they see you here…"

The group didn't need to be warned. They scattered, heading for various tents and hiding places. Elizabeth froze, however, until Aaron reached out from his tent and pulled her inside just as the gate opened. A group of Enforcers walked inside, stone faced.

George approached, nervously wringing his hands. "Th-the food isn't q-quite ready y-yet…"

The one in front grabbed George by the mouth, shutting him up. "We're not here for the food." he growled. "There's a group on the run from us. We want you to be on the lookout for them."

"You mean someone managed to evade you? Getting slow?" A woman mocked, scowling at the Enforcers. She was met by one of the Enforcers drawing a club from her pack, running forward and striking her into the dirt. She continued beating the woman until she started whimpering, grinning and returning to her team. The lead Enforcer cleared his throat. "As I was saying… there are seventeen of them. Two of them are kids. Their leaders are an asian woman with red hair, a large white man with a pair of scars across his face, a white woman with black hair and a German Shepherd, and a man with sandy hair and blue eyes. They also have a Doberman and a fat guy. If you see any of them, contact us immediately." he grinned maliciously. "And tell them that Tristan will be killed tomorrow at 8:00 PM if they don't hand over Ryan and Rachel. Got all that?" George nodded wordlessly, and the Enforcer clapped him on his back. "There's a good man. Now get back to making our food. You still need to have it done in two days."

George scowled but nodded. Then a shriek was heard, and a woman leapt out of a tent with a knife, going straight for the Enforcer's throat. He slapped the knife away when she got close, and kicked her to the ground. He grinned, drawing his gun and aiming At her head. Then John shot out of his tent, tackling the man to the ground. Before the other Enforcers could react, Connor, Jaina, Alec, Sakura, and Ryan ran out of the tents, Diego and Corporal with them. They launched into battle, and made short work of the Enforcers. One of them crawled away, scrambling to find his walkie. He shakily raised it to his mouth, then it fell out of his hands as Diego locked his jaw around the man's wrist. He cried out in pain as Diego dragged him by his bloodied hand back to the battle, where Sakura and John kneeled over him, glaring at him. "Listen up, jackass. You're going to help us." John growled.

The Enforcer responded by attempting to spit in John's face. "Like Hell I am. Do you know what Nathaniel's going to do to all of you? You're dead, you're all dead!"

Sakura grabbed the collar of his jacket and rolled him to face her snarling face. "You _will_ help us, or I'll skin your face and feed it to my dog." She growled, Diego coming up next to her. Sorano's eyes widened at her daughter's harsh threat. "You have one of our people. You're going to take us to your main camp, and you're going to set him free." The man struggled against her iron grip, not responding to her demand. She drew her knife, and pressed the cold tip against his cheek. "Answer me!"

The man cowered under her glare. "A-alright, fine. J-just don't kill me!"

"Do exactly as we say, and maybe that can be arranged." John growled. He turned to the awed George and townsfolk. "Get any weapons you can find. We're attacking the Enforcers."

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 _Adeline managed to get the front door open with her foot, pushing the baby carriage in while carrying the groceries. "NATHANIEL!" She called out, scowling. "I've been waiting outside for you to get the door for five minut… Oh good Lord…" she huffed, seeing the empty beer bottles strewn across the couch. She laid the babies in the crib, walking through the house. "Nathaniel! I thought we talked about the beer?" She walked up the staircase. "Nathaniel?" she saw his door open, and hesitated. He had been very adamant about his personal privacy. Then she set her jaw. This had gone on long enough, he had been nothing but a hindrance for the past month, only doing anything for the children when she kept pestering him until he finally, while groaning and mumbling, changed a diaper or took the kids to the doctor or fed them. "Nathaniel! Don't you dare ignore me!" She pushed his door open, then her jaw dropped at the sight of suitcases all over the bed. Nathaniel was in the closet, throwing certain items on the floor and others on the bed to pack. "What… what are you doing?"_

" _Leaving." He answered crossly, finishing his business in the closet and closing the doors. "I'm done here. You can handle the brats on your own, I'm sure."_

" _I_ have _been taking care of them on my own!" She said angrily. "I offered to move in on the I assumed to be obvious condition that you would act like their father!"_

" _Well, that's not working out for me." he responded, closing another suitcase. "You'll be happy to know I already took care of the paperwork. All you need to do is sign the papers I left on the dining room table, mail them in the envelopes I provided, and you'll officially be their legal guardian. I'm. Done."_

 _She blocked the doorway as he grabbed his cases and moved to leave. "You are their father! How could you do this? What would Sarah think?!"_

 _He scowled and shoved the woman backwards, sending her sprawling across the hallway. "Do_ not _speak her name! And besides, obviously I'm not fit to be their father. I'm just a lousy drunk, remember? Isn't that what you told the therapist?"_

 _She scowled at him, struggling to pick herself up. "You know what, you're right. "Go. Go and go far away. These children will be better off without you in their lives!"_

 _He smirked, stepping over her and heading outside to his Mustang. "Have a nice life, Adeline." he called as she stepped outside to glare at him. "Good luck raising a murderer."_

" _You're blaming her for something that couldn't be helped!" She shouted, stepping behind the car. "She's just a child, Nathan!"_

" _A child I didn't want or need. I'll give you ten seconds to get out from behind my car before I run you over." he replied coolly, slipping his shades on._

" _You're an awful man, Nathaniel Mattson! Awful!" She shouted, tears forming in her eyes. "You're leaving an old woman in sole care of two infants!"_

" _Ten, nine, eight…" he counted, ignoring her. Adeline scowled, stepping away from the Mustang, Nathaniel immediately speeding out of the driveway and taking off down the road. Adeline stormed back in the house, slamming the door. She immediately regretted that decision as Ryan and Rachel burst into tears at the noise. She buried her face in her hands, leaning against the wall and sliding down it to her knees, giving in and crying as she desperately tried to figure out how the hell she was going to do this as the twins cried and screamed in the next room._

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 **(A/N A suplex is a wrestling move where a wrestler wraps his arms around his opponent's waist and leans back, sending his opponent over his head and into the ground.)**

Dawn was breaking over the Enforcer's main camp, and the Enforcers grumpily woke to singing. Tristan's guards unsuccessfully tried blocking out his singing as he went on, and on, and on and on. Finally one of them turned around. "Shut the fuck up already! Just shut up! One more peep out of you and I'll rip your teeth out, understand?!"

Tristan locked eyes with him, grinned, then belted out, "Tell me nooooow, who taught you how to haaaaate? 'Cause it isn't in your bloooood, not a part of what you're maaaaade! So let this be understoooood, somebody taught you how to haaaaate! When you live this way you becooooome," The other guard grabbed his friend's arm to hold him back as he lunged for Tristan. "…dead to everyone."

"Nathaniel said not to touch him!" The guard's buddy said, trying to calm his friend down. "Just ignore him."

"He's been singing for three hours now, I'm sick of it!" He argued.

"It could be worse." Tristan piped up. "I pride myself on my singing skills, you could be listening to someone who sucks at singing."

The guard whipped around to point at him. "Shut your damn mouth! I don't want to hear any more singing, period!"

"Well I'd be disturbed if I heard a singing period too. Even more so depending on what kind you're talking about." Tristan responded, grinning at the reddening angry face of the guard. "Dude, you're starting to look like a tomato. A dumbass tomato. Let me sing you song to calm you down…"

The guard lunged for him again, but this time the back of his jacket was grabbed by another guard. "Let him be. I'll take it from here, you two go on your break."

The other guard raised his eyebrow. "We're supposed to be watching him until…"

"And Nathaniel said to go on the wall. You're two of our best marksmen, and he thinks that his friends are going to try and attack soon. Go ahead, I got this." The guard said. His friends shrugged, walking away to the wall. The guard watched them go, then hurriedly started untying Tristan's bindings.

As soon as he finished, Tristan's hand shot around his throat. He studied the terrified man, and his gaze fell to the bloody gauze wrapped around his fist. "That looks like a dog bite. My friends sent you?" he asked. The man nodded, and he grinned. "They probably have a rifle trained on you right now, don't they?" the man nodded again, and Tristan raised his hand and waved to whoever was behind the scope of the rifle. Rachel would have laughed under different circumstances, but she focused on keeping her rifle trained on their prisoner.

Tristan let the man go as he led him through the back of the camp, stopping to pull out a duffel bag from a hiding place to let Tristan reclaim his gear. As soon as the gate came into sight, the man turned around. "Alright, I let you go, gave you your weapons, and led you to the exit. Now tell your friends to leave me alone." he demanded.

Tristan glanced at him. "You won't have to worry about us ever again." he responded. The man breathed a sigh of relief, and started walking back the way he came. As he passed Tristan, Tristan turned to him and took the knife from his leg's sheath and jammed it into the back of his skull. The man fell to the ground, and Tristan wiped the blood on his pants and slid it back into the sheath on his leg, starting to whistle again as he started for the gate.

He slowly opened it, and when he got it open Nathaniel was standing on the other side, shotgun barrel in Tristan's face, smirking. "Don't know how you got my man to betray me. You're a clever one, I'll give you that. But I'm done playing games, boy."

Tristan grinned, his eyes darkening. "So am I." he let out a roar, slapping the gun away in a blur and sending his fist into Nathaniel's jaw. He only stumbled for a moment before thrusting his shoulder into Tristan, sending him to the ground. Tristan hopped back to his feet, and he and Nathaniel started circling. Then a pair of arms wrapped around Nathaniel's waist, and John suplexed* him. Nathanael grunted in pain as his head bounced against a rock, John getting into his stance and circling Nathanael. He got up from the ground, and drew his tire iron and went to hit John. John dodged the swing, and karate chopped Nathaniel in the back. He grabbed him by the shirt, and threw Nathaniel into Tristan's waiting fist.

Nathaniel roared, and dodged a punch from Tristan, retaliating by giving him a gut punch. He turned to jab John in the chest, immediately following up with attempting to punch him in the face. John grabbed his hand before contact, twisting it before crying out as Nathaniel kneed him in the crotch.

As the three of them fought, Ryan came up behind Rachel and squeezed her shoulder. "It's time. Stay here, do _not_ come down." He said. It wasn't a request, or advice. It was an order. Rachel nodded, wanting to be as far away from the monster as possible. But that didn't mean she didn't want to see Ryan kill him. Ryan slid down the slope, Alec following him. Jaina settled down next to Rachel with her own rifle, peering through her scope. She would rather be down with her friends, but Ryan had requested she stay with Rachel and protect her.

The Enforcers became aware of the intrusion, and they started closing in on John and Tristan as they worked together to combat Nathaniel.

Ryan leapt into the fray as Sakura flew out of the bushes with her sword, as George and his friends stayed in the woods with their guns, taking their time to aim carefully to use the little ammo they had.

It was an all out brawl, and Ryan tackled his father off of Tristan, who turned to shoot an Enforcer who was preparing to stab John. Ryan got off of his father, drawing his knife as Nathaniel stood up with his tire iron. Nathaniel grinned, swinging his iron in his hands. "No running this time, boy."

Ryan scowled. "I don't intend to." he let out a battle cry as he and his father ran towards each other, each raising their weapon to strike down the other.

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 **Ooooooh who's gonna win? Review!**


	31. ,,,And Departures

**Hello once more readers.**

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 _Ryan held Rachel's hand as they stared at the coffin. Grandma looked peaceful. If they didn't know better, they'd think she was just sleeping._

 _An old woman knelt next to them. "Adeline was a wonderful woman." she said, smiling at them. "You don't know me, but I was Adeline's friend for a long time, we met in high school long ago."_

 _Ryan smiled back politely, but he secretly wished she and everyone else would just leave him and his sister alone._

 _He heard muttering, and turned to see a man dressed like a guy in a biker gang strutting into the church. Several people were glaring at him, but he ignored them as he approached the kids, a cold smile on his face. "Ryan, Rachel. Good to see you two again."_

 _Rachel took a step back, and Ryan stepped forward in front of his sister. "Who are you?"_

 _The man laughed. "What, the old cu… ahem, Adeline never talked about me?" he asked, catching himself as several people stood up. "I'm your daddy."_

 _Ryan's eyes widened. "But, Gramma said you were dead…"_

" _Did she now?" he wondered aloud. "Guess she would. Well I can assure you I'm very much alive."_

" _And very much not welcome here." Uncle Jack growled. "What in God's name are you doing here, Nathaniel?"_

" _Me? I'm here to claim custody." He answered, a man walking in with a briefcase and standing behind Nathaniel._

" _You signed them over to Adeline." Aunt Mary retorted, walking up next to Jack. "You can't."_

" _I don't believe Adeline read all the papers closely. One of the agreements in the papers was that I would be allowed to reclaim custody at any point I choose." he responded, smirking. "I kept copies." the man, Nathaniel's lawyer, pulled a stack of papers out of his briefcase. "You can go ahead and read them over if you'd like."_

" _Why? Why would you come back after eight whole years? You were so desperate to abandon them when they were babies. You have no right!" Mary shouted as the old woman from before led the kids away to another room._

" _Actually, I do have the right. Says so right in there." he said, jabbing his thumb at the papers. "And as for why, I was just doing some soul searching, that's all. I had to take time to reflect and think about things."_

" _Right, because Sarah's death was_ so _hard on you." Jack sneered. "If you really cared about her you wouldn't have abandoned those kids."_

 _Nathaniel's hand shot out and gripped Jack's jacket. "Don't you dare accuse me of not loving her!" he growled. "It was because I loved her that I left!" The smile slowly crawled back onto his face. "I was in no state to care for those kids. But now I'm ready to be a father."_

 _Jack pushed away from Nathaniel, scowling. "Then you better be a damn good father, because the second I see any evidence of mistreatment or negligence, I'm calling CPS, is that clear?"_

" _Crystal." Nathaniel responded, his smirk never leaving. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go collect my children, and get them packing."_

 _Jack's jaw dropped. "Packing?"_

" _Packing. Wouldn't want them to leave their stuff all the way out here in Ohio. We're going back to my home in New Jersey." Nathaniel responded coolly, walking past a flabbergasted Jack._

" _Y-you can't! Their family and friends are here! Their school, their home…"_

" _And mine are in Trenton. They can make new friends, go to a new school." He interrupted, nearing the doors that led out of the sanctuary. "Have a nice life, Jack." He laughed as he threw the doors open, taking the kids out of the church as everyone glared at his back, unable to do anything._

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The clang of clashing metal rang in Ryan's ears as he combated his father. His snarl never left his face as he relentlessly tried to stab and cut Nathaniel. But his father blocked and countered every attack, getting in kicks of his own. He smacked Ryan in the gut with the tire iron, then followed it up with an uppercut to Ryan's jaw before blocking a swipe from Ryan's dagger. "You're slow, boy. You've always been a pussy."

Ryan responded by roaring in rage and slamming into his father, managing to finally cut him across the chest. Nathaniel's shirt started to turn red, but Nathaniel got over the pain quickly, knocking his son away. "You can't beat me, boy. I'm faster, stronger, smarter, better than you."

Ryan ignored his taunts, wiping the blood from his chin and getting back up to fight. Connor ran past him, tackling an enforcer and snapping his neck, getting up and kicking away another. Diego leapt over Tristan to attack another Enforcer, Tristan stabbing another, Sakura firing arrows into others. John expertly took on three at once, disarming them and pinning them before killing them, snarling in rage.

Sakura slashed her blade across the hand of her assailant, making him drop his bat before running her blade through his chest, drawing it out in time to turn, draw her bow, and shoot another attacker in between her eyes. A pair of arms wrapped around her chest, squeezing the air out of her. She gasped as the Enforcer laughed. Then a spurt of red flew out, as Tristan jammed his sword through his shoulder and threw him to the ground before plunging his own blade into the man's throat. Sakura got her breath back, then turned to fire an arrow into a guy sneaking up on Tristan. He nodded his thanks as he turned to stab another attacker. John ran past them, slamming into a pair of Enforcers and knocking them to the ground

Jaina kept watch as Rachel sniped, shooting any Enforcers who came too close to their hiding spot for comfort. George and the townsfolk were whooping as they shot down the Enforcers. So far there had been zero fatalities on their side. They were winning.

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 _Ryan and Rachel stared in apprehension at the run down house. The paint was peeling, one of the top windows was shattered, there was a hole in the porch, cobwebs everywhere. Trash littered the ground, and the place reeked of alcohol. They were both missing the pink house Gramma had, it had always smelled nice, like a bakery, and it had a white porch swing. This place was the polar opposite._

 _Nathaniel tossed their luggage out of the trunk in front of their feet. "Your room is on the second floor. Twin beds. I'd start unpacking, because we need to leave in an hour for the courthouse." he ordered, walking inside while lighting a cigarette._

 _Ryan grasped his sister's hand, as he led her inside and they found their room. Once again they remembered the old house. Gramma had given them each their own room, Rachel's had been yellow with a flower print, Ryan's blue with cars. This room barely had any wallpaper left, and it was an ugly mottled green and yellow. The ceiling was rough, and Rachel set her ceiling stars back in her bag in disappointment. Ryan sighed, heaving his bag onto his bed and slowly started unpacking. He took out his matchbox cars out, setting them in a bin by the wall. He looked over his shoulder, Rachel hadn't started yet. She was crying. Ryan got up hurriedly and hugged her. "It's okay, we'll get through this." he said. "We'll be okay. It can't be that bad, Uncle Jack and Aunt Mary wouldn't let us leave if he was a bad person, right?"_

 _Rachel nodded, smiling a little. "I guess… I just miss Gramma."_

" _I do too. But we'll be happy here. We thought Dad was dead, but he's actually alive! We have a dad now, isn't that exciting?" He said, grinning._

 _Rachel grinned too. "Yeah! Do you think he'll read us bedtime stories? Take us to take your kid to work day?"_

" _Maybe. We can get him Father's day presents!" Ryan said excitedly. "This will be cool, I'm sure of it! Dad's always take care of their kids."_

" _Gracie's dad was always cool, he took us out for ice cream after scouts!" Rachel said. She had cheered up, and Ryan helped her start unpacking. Ryan smiled at her as their new dad called them downstairs. "We're coming!"_

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Sorano looked sadly at the RV. Dani walked over and sat next to her, shifting her arm uncomfortably, the makeshift cast was starting to get incredibly irritating. "Amber still not talking to you?"

She sighed. "No. But I can deal with the silent treatment, knowing she's safe."

Dani nodded in understanding. "Tyson's pretty pissed too. He wanted to go fight. I don't understand, he used to be perfectly okay letting me do the fighting. Now all of a sudden he wants to charge into the frontlines in an attack on a camp of psychopaths."

"Maybe he's starting to want to prove himself." Sorano commented. "Maybe he wants to take on a bigger role. He's nearly an adult now."

"Maybe. But he's still my baby brother." Dani said, sighing. "I just don't want to see him get hurt."

"I feel the same way about my daughters. I can hardly stop Sakura, but I can still keep Amber from throwing herself in danger." She pursed her lips in thought. "I wish our town never burned down. We were safe there."

"Your town burned down?" Dani asked, surprised. "Bandits?"

"Yes. James found us and started leading Amber and I to another town, until Tristan and Sakura ran into us. Then, everything else just fell into place." she answered, waving her hand in the air on the last part. "Thing is, we were in that town for over four years. Sakura took on a bigger role, keeping us safe, but she was the same girl. So was Amber. Now, the outside world is changing them." Sakura's threat to their prisoner came rushing back into her mind, as did Amber's argument with her when she was denied joining the attack.

"You need to adapt in this world. Things are different, and they're not changing anytime soon." Dani advised. "They're changing, but for the better. And I know Tyson is changing for the better too, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"How is it for the better? Everyone out here is hard and violent!" Sorano cried, getting upset. "People turn into monsters out here, and all the good people have to change into something worse to survive."

Elizabeth had sat down with them. "I couldn't agree more. This world is too horrible, no one is safe in it. Alice and David have slowly gotten worse since we first met."

As the adults talked, Amber sat with Alice and David in her lap, and Tyson at the window and listened. David looked at her. "What does Elizabeth mean? Does she not like us?"

Amber smiled and ruffled his hair. "No, she likes you. She just doesn't understand that you guys are growing up." she sighed, glaring out the window. "I shouldn't be here. Our friends are putting their lives on the line, and I'm not there to help."

Tyson nodded in agreement. "I don't know how Dani expects me to learn to defend myself if she prevents me from doing any fighting."

"Exactly! Besides, Mike got to go. We should be able to help our friends too. It's not like I don't know how to fight." Amber said, punching the wall in frustration.

Alice looked up at Amber. "She's your mom, she just wants to protect you."

"I'm not a kid anymore, I'm almost eighteen. I should be able to fight with the others." Amber defended, glaring out the window again. "She can't keep trying to keep me from danger. It's necessary in the world. You and David are only nine, and Tristan has been letting you guys be an even bigger help than mom is letting me."

Tyson listened to her talk, twittering his thumbs as they waited anxiously for the group's return. Then Amber shot out of her seat, pressing her face against the window. "Oh, shi…" There was an explosion near the APC, and the adults outside scattered as a group of Enforcers ran out of the woods, sporting shotguns and rifles.

Dani dragged herself behind cover, crying out as pain ran up and down her arm. Then blood started flowing from her shoulder again, staining the bandage red. She drew her pistol, flinching as a bullet hit the overturned table. She aimed around the side, getting three shots off before ducking back to safety. Sorano was trying to move from cover to cover to the RV, while Alec limped to the APC. He climbed into the back, climbing to the turret. He peeked outside, and aimed the turret. He grinned as he got one of them in his sights, then was knocked unconscious from the blast. He pulled the trigger, forgetting that the turret had been damaged in the chase from before. The barrel exploded, throwing Alec back into the armored vehicle as black filled his vision. Blood started to flow from his cheek from shrapnel slashing it open.

Alice crawled below the windows of the RV to Tristan's chest, reaching inside and pulling out his sniper rifle. She hefted it in her arms, dragging it over to Amber, grabbing a pair of handguns from the counter for herself and David. Amber grabbed the rifle, throwing the window open and setting it up. Alice and David peeked through the windows, aiming their guns and firing. They drew the Enforcers behind cover, and Amber trained the rifle on the top of one of their heads as he knelt behind cover. She fired, ripping the skin from his scalp as he fell to the ground.

Alice saw one of them sneaking around the back, and aimed to push him back. Then she cried out in protest as Elizabeth grabbed her and David and dragged them away from the windows. "What are you doing?!"

"You are children! You have no business firing guns out of windows in the middle of a firefight!" She shouted, eyes wild with fear.

Alice glared at her, trying to squirm away as Amber fired round after round, Tyson trying to find a weapon for himself. She saw a woman run out from behind cover, heading straight for the RV. "Screw it." She muttered, and bit down and Elizabeth's finger. Elizabeth cursed as she let Alice go to grasp her own hand, and Alice ran for the door just as it was opening, grabbing a fallen rolling pin from the ground. The Enforcer stepped inside, and Alice tackled her, sending them both outside. David ran to help, grabbing a frying pan from the counter. He joined Alice in hitting the Enforcer, beating her down. Alice landed a square blow, and the woman fell unconscious. Gunfire rained over their heads, and they ducked back into the RV.

Three were left, and Aaron crouched down with Sorano behind cover. Sorano glanced in worry at the RV. "Where did Alec go?"

Dani slid in between them. "He ran for the APC, then there was an explosion and he fell inside." she answered, firing over the top of the table before ducking down. "I have no idea if he's still alive or not."

Aaron screamed as a bullet shot through the table. "What the hell are we going to do?!"

"There's only three left, we can take them." Dani stated with confidence.

Then Sorano gasped as Amber screamed, the RV coming under fire. Before Dani or Aaron could stop her, Sorano ran out from behind cover for the woman moving to kick down the door. "Not my daughter!" she yelled, eyes flashing as she shoved the woman to the ground. She kicked her, but then was dragged down by her shirt to the snarling woman's level. Her eyes widened in fear, but nevertheless she punched the Enforcer in the jaw. But it did nothing but bring a grin to her face. Then Dani grabbed the Enforcer by her hair, yanking her away and planting a bullet in her skull. Then Dai crumpled to the ground as another Enforcer hit her over the head with a club, turning to grab Sorano by the shirt and throwing her against the side of the RV. He threw open the RV door, his remaining partner activating a smoke grenade and tossing it inside. They backed away, and knocked out each kid as they ran out of the RV, hitting Elizabeth as she came out last.

Aaron saw this all unfold, and his mind was torn between running and trying to save his friends. He debated in his mind, hesitantly starting to sneak towards them when they turned around and tackled him, bouncing his head against the ground and knocking him out. One of them raised a walkie to his mouth as his partner started gathering up the group members. "Hostages secure. Waiting for your order."

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 _Ryan opened the closet to see Rachel curled up in the corner, crying. He climbed inside with her while Nathaniel raged downstairs, calling for them. "He's drunk again." he muttered._

" _I know." Rachel replied through her sobs. "H-he hit m-me again…"_

 _Ryan scowled. "Again?!"_

 _Rachel looked at him. "Yes. He was drinking his b-beer, and yelling, and w-when I asked him to s-stop… he threw the b-beer bottle at m-me…" she stammered, tears welling up again._

 _Ryan hugged her, scowling. "He won't get away with that." he promised. "No father should do that."_

" _Then why did he?" Rachel asked. "Why has he been doing it ever since we came here? Why does he hate me so much?!"_

" _It doesn't matter why, he shouldn't be doing it." Ryan responded._

" _It's because you're a damn murderer." Came a growl outside the closet. Nathaniel threw open the closet and dragged out Rachel, Ryan beating his leg. Nathanael kicked him away, and smacked Rachel to the ground. "You deserve this, you little brat. You don't even know what you did, you shit!"_

 _Rachel got into a fetal position. "P-please s-stop…"_

" _No. You're too young to be properly punished, but that doesn't mean I can't dish out some justice of my own." Nathaniel growled._

 _Ryan dashed out of the closet, slamming into Nathaniel's side. He managed to make the man stumble for a moment, but Nathaniel turned around and kicked him to the ground. "Well, aren't you noble? She's not worth defending, boy." he growled._

 _Ryan staggered to his feet. "She is! You're a monster!"_

 _Nathaniel laughed. "Boy, you don't know what a monster is. And believe me, you don't want to find out."_

 _Ryan scowled in response, then let out a cry of protest as Nathaniel threw him back into the closet, locking it from the outside. He turned to see Rachel run out the door, and he ran after her._

 _Rachel ran into the garage, making for the door opener. She was grabbed from behind, and thrown back into the wall. Nathanael grabbed a tire iron, and smacked her in the gut. She gasped, the wind leaving her as Nathaniel slapped his palm with the iron. "Now, I can make this a lot worse if I use this." he threatened. "Now, are you going to lie down like a good girl and take your punishment?" Rachel nodded, crying. Nathaniel set the iron aside, and dragged her inside to the living room._

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Nathanael grappled with Ryan, slowly overpowering him, grinning. His walkie crackled to life, and Ryan's eyes widened at the words that came through. "Hostages secure. Waiting for your order."

Nathaniel took advantage of his distraction to throw him to the side. He threw up his hands, and shouted, "HOLD YOUR FIRE!"

The Enforcers ceased fire, ducking behind cover. Nathaniel ducked behind cover as George and the townsfolk kept firing. Tristan narrowed his eyes as his side kept trying to fight. "Wait, wait! STOP!" He shouted. John looked at him in confusion, but complied, and slowly everyone followed suit. Nathaniel stepped out, grinning. "Well, here we are again. A good ol' fashioned standoff." he said, throwing his arms out to the side. "But, this time…"

"You have something to hold over our heads." Tristan growled. "Otherwise you would have kept fighting."

"Damn right." He responded, his grin growing. He tossed his walkie over to Tristan. "Go ahead."

Tristan raised an eyebrow, but activated the radio. "Who is this?"

A frantic mumbling came from the other side, then a rip and a familiar voice crying out in pain. Th-they've taken us hostage!" came Alice's voice. Before she could continue, a graveled voice came on. "They're all alive, for now. But the second Nathaniel gives the order, they're dead."

Tristan's eyes flashed with rage. "YOU…!"

"I'd like my radio back, please." Nathaniel interrupted, still grinning. Tristan lugged the radio back at him, and he caught it. "I've tried being reasonable. Now, hand over Ryan and Rachel. Or they all die. And so will you."

John stepped forward. "No deal."

"I'd reconsider. I'm giving you a very generous offer. You can all go free… hell, I'll even leave George and his precious town alone as an added bonus." Nathaniel bargained. "All I want are the twins. That's it. No strings attached, you have my word."

At this offer, George perked up, along with his people. "You'll leave us alone?"

"On my honor." Nathaniel said, raising his right hand. "I'll even give you some heavy weapons as insurance." he looked directly at John, Sakura, Tristan, Ella, and Ryan. "I am being _very_ generous, and more than reasonable."

Ryan stepped forward. "I'm not letting you touch her." he growled.

Tristan stayed silent as he glared at the radio. George hesitantly walked over. The Enforcers all had their guns trained on the group, George's people hesitantly moving their guns to them as well. "I-I don't want them screwing us over, Nathaniel! If we help deliver the twins, will we still be left alone? With the guns?"

John whipped around to glare at him. "You cowardly little…"

"I don't see why not." Nathaniel responded. "Ryan. Rachel. You have exactly one minute to hand them over before I give the order to start killing off your friends." he threatened.

Meanwhile up in the vantage point, Rachel and Jaina were listening over the radio. Rachel was still trembling, but she had lowered the rifle. "Jaina… I… I think I need to hand myself over."

Jaina's jaw dropped. "N-no! Absolutely not! We'll find a way out of this!"

Rachel ignored her, getting up. Jaina pulled her back down to the ground frantically. She grappled with Rachel, eventually pinning her. Rachel squirmed beneath her grasp. "Let me go!"

"I promised Ryan I'd keep you safe." she growled. "There's no way you're handing yourself over."

Rachel responded by head-butting Jaina in the chin, and squirming away and taking off down the hill as Jaina ran after her.

Back in the camp, Nathanael stared at the group members. Everyone was silent, Tristan and John exchanging glances. Ryan turned to look at them. "You're not seriously considering taking his offer?"

They didn't answer, when Nathaniel sighed. "Minute's up. Kill the old woman." he ordered.

Sakura's eyes widened and started welling up. "No! No please!"

The walkies came to life, Sorano pleading as they heard the man kick her to the ground. "You're gonna hear every part of this." the Enforcer growled, cackling. Sakura started screaming, everyone else being held hostage doing the same as the man pressed his gun against Sorano's temple. "Say goodnight, bitch." he rasped.

Then Rachel burst into the camp. "Stop! Tell him to stop!"

Nathaniel brought the walkie back to his face. "Stop! Hold your fire!" the Enforcer groaned on the other end but complied, Amber still shrieking at him to burn in Hell as the kids cried and Sorano struggled to stop hyperventilating, Tristan holding Sakura as she struggled not to fall.

Nathaniel smirked as Ryan tried grabbing Rachel's arm, but she evaded his grasp and walked up to Nathaniel. "It's me you want. Leave them out of it."

"Rachel, what the fuck are you doing?!" Ryan hissed, running forward. Then Jaina burst into the camp, gasping for breath, a thorn bush stuck to her leg. "I… tried… to sto… stop her…" she panted.

"I'm doing what I have to do." She responded, turning to face her father. "Dad."

"Rachel." He responded, grin growing. "I've waited a long time for this." he said, twirling the tire iron in his fingers. He raised it up for her to see. "You know, this is the same iron that nearly killed you the night you brats ran off? Now, now it's going to see blood."

That did it for Ryan. He roared like an animal, charging for Nathaniel. "Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare touch her! You'll have to kill me first!" while he screamed, three Enforcers grabbed him by the arms and forced him to the ground. He turned in desperation to the others. "Why the hell are you just standing there?! Do something!"

"Try anything and all the hostages die." Nathaniel threatened. "Starting with the little girl."

Tristan gritted his teeth, unbridled fury flashing in his eyes. "I'm going to give you one warning Nathaniel. Do not fuck with us. Do not harm a single hair on Rachel. Or else you will bring Hell upon yourself that the wrath of God himself couldn't compare to." he growled.

Nathaniel only smirked at the threat, turning back to the trembling Rachel. "I gotta say, you're showing more backbone than I thought was possible in you. But now you're going to pay."

"SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Ryan screamed. "Mom died in childbirth, you jackass! It wasn't anyone's fault!"

"It is! It's hers!" He shouted back, rage warping his face again. "We didn't even want her, and then she comes along and takes away the most precious thing in my life!"

John stepped forward. "And what about your wife? What would she think of all this? How would she react to the monster that she trusted to look after her children, and instead he took that trust and used it to beat the crap out of her kids? What father does this?"

"You stay out of this! This has nothing to do with you!" He roared. He whipped back to face Ryan. "She's a murderer. And murderers must be brought to justice."

"And what are you?" Sakura demanded. "You're just a hypocritical psychopath. You're the real murderer here."

"ENOUGH!" He demanded, kicking Rachel to the ground and raising the tire iron above his head. "It ends here!"

Ryan screamed as the iron flew down and struck Rachel in the side of the head. She fell back to the ground, groaning as blood flowed from the split in her head.

Tristan started forward, when and Enforcer stepped in front of him, grinning and holding a walkie up. "No. Moving."

John clenched his fists as the iron came down again, Rachel screaming as he struck her hip, and again on her back. Sakura started screaming at him to stop, but they were all helpless to do anything. Ryan was the only one struggling to get to his sister, all coherent thoughts gone from his mind, wanting nothing else to get to his sister.

 _We're in this together._

He struck her head again, a sickening crunch filling the air as Rachel twitched on the ground. Nathaniel was grinning maniacally. "This has been a long time in the making, bitch!"

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD STOP!" Ryan screamed, tears streaming down his face.

 _I'll never leave your side._

Rachel's eyes were bugging out as he hit her again. "R… Ry… Ryan…"

 _I'll never let him hurt you again._

Everyone was screaming, Nathaniel was laughing. They could see Rachel's brain through the mess now.

 _I'll always protect you._

Rachel was still now, Ryan screaming, his face red as tears ran down his face. Nathaniel hit her a final time, spurt of blood splashing against the ground.

 _I'll always protect you. I promise, okay?_

 _I couldn't ask for a better brother._

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" _RACHEL! Get your ass down here!" Nathaniel's voice boomed. Rachel ran downstairs, Ryan following him. Nathaniel stood fuming next to the kitchen counter. There was flour everywhere, and in some places had formed into dough where water had mixed in, cinnamon sprinkled everywhere. "What the hell is this?"_

" _I-I…" Rachel stammered, taking a step back as Nathaniel advanced. Ryan stepped in front of her. "I was making cookies." He said, not wavering. "But I couldn't reach the flour, so I used a chair, and it fell everywhere."_

" _That so?" His father asked, raising an eyebrow. "Then why does Rachel look so guilty?"_

" _I-I'm not!" Rachel shouted. "I-I'm just scared…"_

" _Scared? Of what?" He asked mockingly. He grinned, kneeling down. "Baby, you're not afraid of_ me _are you?"_

" _She is, because you hit her yesterday." Ryan growled. He was terrified, he was only eleven, and his father was a bear of a man. But he was determined to make sure Rachel wasn't hit anymore._

" _Oh please, I've been disciplining you brats for two years. Why was yesterday any different? Besides, she smashed that picture frame." He retorted, standing back up to his full, intimidating height._

" _No, you threw a bottle at her and it hit the picture instead!" Ryan shouted back. Nathaniel growled, and his hand flew across Ryan's cheek, sending him headfirst into the wall._

 _He grabbed Rachel as she went to help Ryan back up, and picked her up, dropping her onto the kitchen floor and throwing open the closet, cleaning supplies falling out. "Clean this shit up! When you're done put everything back." he commanded, walking away. Rachel was in tears, but complied, shakily grabbing the spray bottle and a towel. Ryan had disappeared, so she started cleaning, her tears falling on the counter. After a minute Ryan walked into the kitchen carrying a tin. He opened it, and inside were a dozen cookies. "Happy Birthday to us." he said kindly, with a hint of bitterness in his voice._

 _Rachel smiled sadly, taking a cookie and biting into it. As she ate it, Ryan took the towel and bottle. "It's my mess, I'll clean it up." he said, handing the rest of the tin to Rachel. "I already had some. Dig in."_

 _Rachel swallowed, and set the tin aside. "We're in this together, remember?" She reminded him, taking a second towel and bottle. "Neither of us should be alone."_

 _He smiled at her, and started wiping the counter, Rachel going to work on the oven. When they finally finished, they snuck up to their room and went to town on the cookies. As they ate, Ryan looked at her. "I'll always protect you. I promise, okay?"_

 _She grinned, and hugged him. "I couldn't ask for a better brother."_

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Ryan was sobbing as the Enforcers finally let him go, letting him fall to his hands and knees. Nathaniel was grinning, his face stained with his daughter's blood. He paced in front of the seething group. "You… you have _no_ idea… how satisfying that was." he said, chuckling. "I feel this… this inner peace… now that Sarah has been avenged."

"You didn't avenge anyone." Ryan growled, looking up. His eyes were wild, and the tears left horrifying streaks in his face. "But I… I will avenge her. I'm going to make you wish you'd stayed the hell away from us."

"That'll be difficult if you're dead." Nathaniel retorted, raising the iron again. "Your turn, brat."

"Bring it on." Ryan growled, standing up.

Back by the RV, Dani was slowly working out of her bonds. She finally broke through, and tackled one of the Enforcers. She took the rope that was around her wrists, and wrapped it around his neck, pulling up and strangling him.

The other Enforcer aimed his shotgun, and Alice and David stood up and head-butted him at the same time in the gut. He fell to the ground gasping, and Aaron started kicking him after kicking the shotgun away.

Dani relaxed her grip on the rope, the Enforcer dead. She took his gun, put a bullet in his head to keep him from turning, and turned to shoot the other one between the eyes.

She cut the kids' bonds first, and Alice dove for the walkie. "Guys! We're free! We're free!"

When that came over the radio, Tristan, John, and Sakura leapt into action. John kicked out the knee of an Enforcer to take his shotgun, blowing his face off and turning to do the same to another. Tristan and Sakura grabbed their swords, hacking at their attackers and stabbing.

Ella turned to George's men in the bushes. "Come on, fire!"

They all shared a glance, and collectively aimed their guns at her. "Sorry." A woman said. "But we need to look out for our own people."

Ella's eyes widened. "Y… you cowards!" she growled. "He's not going to keep his word!"

They ignored her, two men restraining her as they opened fire on her friends. Jaina cried out as she was grazed, Connor falling to the ground to avoid the flying bullets.

Tristan and John turned to the bushes, raging. Together they ran towards them, grabbing a pair of dead enforcers to use as shields against the fire. Once they reached the bushes, they threw the bodies in, knocking over the ones in front before jumping in. Tristan started stabbing, John covering him. Ella kicked one of her restrainers in the balls, then scratched at the eye of the other, crawling away as they both let go to clutch at their injuries. She grabbed her fallen gun, and shot each of them in the forehead. An Enforcer ran in, but Corporal tackled him and bit down on his arm.

Sakura was back out in the camp, holding off the Enforcers as Ryan blindly fought his way to Nathaniel. She paled as she saw more Enforcers coming out of the woods. "Shit." She muttered. "Diego! Get Ryan!"

Diego drew away from the mangled corpse of an Enforcer, and weaved through the battlefield, finding Ryan and tackling him. Ryan clawed at the ground. He had lost it, he was screaming at Nathaniel and trying desperately to get to him. Diego dragged him behind cover, and Jaina grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him back to the woods.

Slowly they retreated, drawing back into the woods. They started running, separated until they burst into an oddly serene clearing. The sun beat down on them as they regrouped. Ryan was still struggling to get back to the fight, when John walked over and grabbed Ryan's neck. He crumpled to the ground, and Jaina turned on him. "What the hell did you just do?!"

"I knocked him out. I used one of his pressure points." John answered, firing into the tree line, getting a scream in return. "It'll be easier to carry him than to try and drag him by the ear."

Jaina grumbled, but picked up Ryan bridal style. "What the hell are we going to do? We can't outrun them!"

"They're closing in!" Connor cried, punching and Enforcer that burst into the clearing.

Tristan ran into the clearing, covered with blood and out of breath. "Can't… escape… getting on their bikes…"

Sakura cursed, grabbing her hair and pulling as she paced back and forth. "Shit, shit, shit, shit…"

Then they heard a familiar beep, and the RV drove into the clearing out of the woods. It skidded to a stop in front of them, and Dani threw open the door. "Move your asses!" she screamed, firing an assault rifle behind them as they ran inside. As they got inside, Ryan came to, blinking and groaning. Jaina laid him on the bed in the back as Aaron stepped on the gas pedal, the wheels kicking up a wave of dirt before finally driving them forward. They made it back to the main road, turning back for the camp. Enforcers ran out of the woods, and Aaron swerved to hit them, the train cow herder bolted to the front slicing them in half, and the wheels turning them to puddles if that didn't kill them. They burst through the camp, destroying crates and running over Enforcers. George tripped and fell to the ground, and Tristan pointed him out to Aaron. George looked up in fear, getting a cry out before the RV ran him over. They got to the other side, taking off down the main road. Ryan watched, defeated, out the back window. And the last sight he saw was Rachel's body, still beautiful until it reached the pulpy mess that used to be her head, lying discarded on the hard, cold ground. And Nathaniel standing over it, grinning as he stared after the RV as it drove away.

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 **And another beloved member of the group leaves. Review, let me know what you guys thought.**


	32. A Better Man

**Hello readers! Time for the thrilling conclusion. Revenge, death, and a crapton of blood are coming.**

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They drove until dusk, finally stopping outside a department store on the other side of the city, where Elizabeth and Alec were waiting with the kids along with the mustang and the APC. One by one they filed out of the RV, groaning as their injuries caught up to them, now that the adrenaline had worn off. Only Ryan stayed inside, curled up in the blankets of the bed. He stared blankly at the wall, his eyes losing themselves in Tristan's Disturbed poster. _Rachel is gone._ The red eyes seemed to bore into him, the Guy's toothy grin mocking him. _Rachel is dead._ The creature on the poster was laughing at him, laughing at his failure. _Rachel has been killed._ He could feel the flames that surrounded the figure, burning him. It was getting too hot in here. _Rachel was beaten to a pulp._ It was hot, stop laughing…

 _By him._

He roared, leaping out of the bed and ripping the poster off the wall. He grabbed the edges and started tearing, piece by piece he destroyed the laughing figure. He dropped the rest of it, clutching his head and groaning. He stumbled his way to the door, throwing it open and falling to the ground. He shuddered, feeling pressure building in his gut. He opened his mouth to groan, but instead he started to vomit, lurching and coughing as bile flew from his throat. He heard his friends walk towards him, and he waved them away, slowly using the sides of the RV's armor to pull himself up.

Jaina took his shoulders and led him to the fire they had set up. Dani and Alec were lying on the ground as John and Ella tended to their wounds. Ella shined a light in Alec's eye, then hummed in thought. "You have a nasty bruise on the back of your head from when you hit the rim of the APC, but I don't think you have a concussion."

Alec grunted in response. "I feel fuzzy." was all he said.

She nodded. "Well, yeah. You did hit your head. Your leg is the real issue."

While they talked, Jaina sat Ryan by the fire. He gazed around the camp. Dani was getting new bandages from John, Aaron was going around assessing the damage, Elizabeth was distracting the quiz, Mike, Tyson and Amber were picking bloodied bits of the Enforcers out from the RV's wheels and front, and Tristan and Sakura were talking about a new plan of attack. They all were grim faced, but no one was mourning. Ryan scowled. "What the hell is wrong with all of you?" Everyone turned to look at him. "Not only did you not save her, you're not even acknowledging the fact that Rachel's face has been reduced to a pulpy mess?!"

Tristan walked over, pity in his eyes. "Ryan…"

"DON'T!" He shouted, standing up abruptly. "You, you didn't do shit! You didn't even try!" Tristan stared at him, silent as Ryan approached. "What's all that talk about you dedicating your life to protecting the innocent worth if you're just going to stand and watch as someone gets beaten to death?!"

"If we did anything, they would have killed the others." Tristan replied quietly. "I… I couldn't risk the kids…"

"You couldn't risk the kids? That's your excuse? Are you saying Rachel's life wasn't worth just as much in comparison?!" Ryan shouted. He shoved Tristan, staggering him to everyone's shock. "And it's not just you! John, you were right next to him!"

"No one is saying Rachel's life wasn't worth anything!" John defended. "But Ryan, the kids had a gun pointed at their heads. As did Aaron, and Elizabeth, and Dani, and Alec."

"We're a team! We need to do everything in our power to save each other, all of us!" Ryan shouted. "Rachel needed us, and you all failed her!"

"You didn't save her either, Ryan. None of us were…" Aaron commented, followed by a slap to the back of his head by Tristan. But Ryan heard. He turned to glare at Aaron. "I had four men pinning me to the ground. _They_ were free! Unbound! The Enforcers didn't even take their weapons!"

Jaina got up and took Ryan's shoulder. "Ryan, you're very upset right now, and you have every right to be. But I think you're saying things you don't mean. Rachel knew the dilemma we were in. She sacrificed herself to protect the others."

Ryan slapped her hand away, a look of disgust on his face. "You're at fault too. I asked you to do one thing: Keep Rachel away from the battle! And you couldn't even do that!"

A look of hurt flashed across her face before she scowled. "Ryan, the only one at fault here is Nathaniel! He's the one who killed her! He's the one who put us in that situation! You're taking out all your anger on us!"

Alec scowled, and to Connor's protest struggled to his feet. "Ryan, come on. You're being unreasonable."

Ryan turned to glare at him. "No, I'm calling you all out."

"Ryan," he said, trying to reason with him. "You're treating us like crap. It's like Jaina said, Nathaniel is to blame. Not us. Pitching a fit isn't going to do anyone any good."

"Like you were any better when Nathalie died." Ryan hissed, drawing gasps from the group and throwing Alec into shock. "You were moody and cold, and isolated yourself from us."

Alec's look of shock turned to anger. "I didn't scream at my friends! Especially not when they were trying to help!"

"That's because you got your revenge. You got to give her a funeral. I can't do that, because we couldn't even grab her body!" He raised a hand as Alec moved to interrupt. "Besides." he growled. "Rachel's death could have been prevented. Nathalie went and got _herself_ killed.

Alec's jaw dropped, then his fist flew out and connected to Ryan's face. He staggered, then growled and tackled Alec. He kneed Alec on his wound, and Alec cried out as Tristan and John grabbed Ryan by the shoulders as Connor dragged Alec away. Connor glared at Alec. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Ryan scowled. "I didn't throw the first punch." he muttered, shoving Tristan and John away, storming back to the RV. Sakura glanced at Tristan, guilt was written all over his face. "I'm going to go talk to him."

"Same here." Jaina said, walking with him back to the RV. Sakura sighed, and looked back at the group. Most of them were awestruck at what had just happened, Alec was glaring after Ryan as Connor changed his bandage, Ryan had reopened his wound.

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 _Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, handing the bills to John. "Just enough." He said, grinning._

 _His landlord took his cigar out of his mouth to count the bills. "Why you're so damned happy all the time, Kagan, I'll never know. You're barely scraping by."_

 _Ryan shrugged, still grinning. "It's a good life, Johnny boy." His landlord scowled at the nickname, replacing his cigar and turning to head to the next apartment. Ryan closed the door, going back to the table and looking over the reports from the garage that day. Mr. Howland's truck had a leaky oil tank, he'd have to patch that up… Mrs. Greene's Jeep had a ruptured exhaust pipe… And Mr. Bing had brought his car in for another flat tire. He frowned. Well, as long as the old man was paying, it wasn't hard to change a tire._

 _The front door opened, and Rachel came in carrying an armload of groceries, Kiera coming in behind her with another bag and carrying Rachel's laptop. "Hey girls!"_

 _Rachel flashed him a tired grin as she started stocking the kitchen, Kiera placing her bag and the laptop in the kitchen before coming over and wrapping her arms around Ryan. "Hey sexy." she purred in his ear._

 _He grinned again, grasping her hand. "Hey beautiful. Salon busy today?"_

" _I wish." She sighed, plopping down in the chair. "People don't care too much about looking pretty in this neighborhood. Business is getting slower and slower."_

 _Ryan shrugged. "I've offered you a job at the garage."_

 _She wrinkled her nose. "I have no clue how you can stand the oil and grease and smell. I'll stick to doing people's hair, thanks."_

 _Rachel stuck her head out from the kitchen. "This place isn't really a good place for a salon, Kiera. I hear the barbershop down the street has an opening. They get pretty good business."_

" _But they have no style!" She complained, leaning the chair back. "It looks so dreary in them. I'd actually prefer the corny candy cane colors you see on TV."_

" _You're too picky." Ryan said, sitting in the chair next to his girlfriend and pecking her cheek as he flipped through the reports._

 _She smirked. "I only take the best." she whispered, snaking an arm around his waist._

 _Rachel faked retching behind them. "Get a room." She called, ducking back in the kitchen as Ryan threw a pen at her and laughing._

 _Ryan shook his head and rested his head on Kiera's shoulder. Yep, life was good._

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Tristan opened the RV, stepping inside first. He cringed at the torn poster on the floor. "At least it wasn't the autographed one." He muttered, walking over to the steaming Ryan. "Ryan? Buddy?"

"Don't call me buddy." He growled, not facing them.

He frowned, going to sit next to him before Jaina pulled him away. "Let me talk to him." she whispered. "Go with the others and make a plan of attack."

He looked reluctant, but nodded, walking back outside. After he closed the door, she sat on the couch next to Ryan. She didn't say anything at first, observing him as he glared at nothing in particular. "Ryan?" she asked after a few minutes.

"I told you all." he muttered. "I told you all we shouldn't have come to Trenton. I tried to warn you all. But you didn't listen. None of you did."

Her face fell. "Ryan, no one could have predicted this…"

"I did!" he shouted, standing up and pacing. "I had a horrible feeling about coming here, and so did Rachel! Now she's dead, and we're all mixed up in this shitstorm. We could have just gone to New York and we'd all be fine. But no, no one listened!"

Jaina listened as he talked, letting him talk it out. Better than him fighting and breaking things. "Now, now the one person who I swore on my own life I'd protect, is dead." he cried, tears forming in his eyes. "Killed by the one person I swore I'd keep away from her. How the hell did I fail so miserably?"

"It's not your fault, Ryan." Jaina said, standing and touching his shoulder. "We all keep telling you, it's Nathaniel's. And we're going to make sure he pays."

He glowered out the window, pressing his forehead against the glass. "No." he said. " _I'm_ going to make sure he pays. For everything he's ever done."

He tried pulling away to go back out the door, then briefly protested when Jaina pulled him back into a tight hug. "You'll get through this. No matter what happens, you still have family here." she whispered. She pulled back, smiling softly at him. "We'll be a shoulder for you to lean on. Just, try not to be quite as much of an ass."

He didn't return the smile, but he did return the hug. He remained silent as they embraced, and after awhile they pulled apart. "I need to sleep." he said, walking past her to the door. "I'll be in the Mustang."

She smiled after him. "We're here for you, Ry."

He only raised a hand to acknowledge her, walking out the door and walking over to the Mustang.

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John, Ella, Sakura, Tristan, and Jaina looked at a map of the area in the front entrance of the department store while everyone set to work fortifying the front entrance. John pointed at the edge of the circle they had drawn to represent the main camp of the Enforcers. "There's a road about half a mile through the wood we can drive to. We can walk the rest of the way, there were some good vantage points for you to snipe, Tristan."

"We have to assume they have every point guarded." Ella responded. She glanced at Jaina. "Where's Ryan? He should be a part of this."

"I'll go get him. Jaina, you come with me too. You may need to talk to him again." Tristan said, walking to the entrance, Jaina tagging along behind him. They walked outside and around the corner to the vehicles, and Tristan cursed. "That idiot!"

The Mustang was gone, tire marks embedded on the pavement leading out of the parking lot. Jaina started panicking. "We need to call him! We need to…"

"No." Tristan said. He was hard eyed. "This ends now. Get John and Sakura. Tell the others to stay here, I'm not putting them in danger again. The Enforcers die tonight."

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 _Ryan opened the door to the café, automatically walking over to Rachel's booth. He started to greet her when she held up a finger. "In the middle of an exam." She said, her eyes glued to her laptop._

 _He smiled at her determined expression, and motioned to the barista to bring him his usual as he slid in next to her, taking out his own laptop. He started typing away, when she screeched. "I got in!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms around Ryan as he hugged her back, shouting in joy with her._

 _Jodi looked over at her. "Congrats, Rachel!"_

 _The other regulars to the café started congratulating her, some of them cheering. Bruno came over with Rachel and Ryan's' coffees, beaming. "Congratulations Rachel! Here, have some coffee on the house. You've earned it!"_

 _Rachel was grinning ear to ear as she shook with giddiness. "Ryan, I can finally go to medical school! This is so exciting!"_

 _Ryan pulled out his phone. "I'm texting Kiera to meet us at the bar, we're going out celebrating tonight!"_

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 _Later, at around one in the morning, the lock to their apartment jiggled for a few minutes before Ryan got it open finally, the three of them staggering inside, giddy and drunk. Kiera swayed over to the hall, dragging Ryan by his collar to the bedroom as Rachel passed out on the couch. He gripped her wrist, pulling her in for a kiss before pulling away. "Hhhang onnn…" he slurred. "I'm going to… I'm going to get some water, I'll be right in. Promise." He said. Kiera giggled, nodding and making her way to Ryan's bedroom._

 _He made it to the sink, turning on the faucet and sticking his head under it before gulping some down. He brought his head back out, shaking it back and forth to dry it as he brushed his sandy hair back. Now he was thinking a bit more clearly, and he realized Kiera was in his bed waiting for him. He considered maybe just going to bed, it didn't seem right doing this while they were drunk._ Fuck it. _He thought. He rummaged in his sports jacket pocket for his wallet, reaching inside and pulling out the blue foil wrapper and grinning. He walked out of the kitchen, then froze._

 _A man was sitting in his Barcalounger, smoking a cigarette. "Fun night out?" he rasped. The red light of the cigarette barely illuminated part of a salt and peppered ragged beard. Ryan fumbled for the switch, finally finding it and turning it on. The man looked like he was 50, with a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. He was balding on the top of his head, Ryan could see that even past the sun hat on top of his head. "You Ryan Mattson?"_

 _That made his blood run cold. "M-mattson? No, I'm sorry, I'm Ryan Kagan. You must have the wrong…"_

" _You know boy, if you're going to change your name to hide, you might want to go all out and get a new first name too. Made my search a hell of a lot easier." The man interrupted, flicking the cigarette out of the window and standing up. "Let's make this quick. Nathaniel wants you back, and you're going back. Whether that's by force is up to you."_

 _Ryan was paralyzed, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide. "H-how…"_

 _He sighed_. _"Well, I spent a whole year tracking your asses down, I suppose I can spare another few minutes. Your dad hired me to find you. Gotta admit, it was clever hiding so close to home. I figured you'd have tried to get as far away as possible from New Jersey."_

 _Ryan unfroze, and dove for the counter. He grabbed the gun from under the counter, and turned to see that the man had moved quickly and silently behind him. He shoved Ryan to the counter, knocking the gun away. "Wrong move, boy." He growled. He was a lot stronger than he looked, he had Ryan in an iron grip. "Now I have to drag your body down to my trunk. You coulda just walked. But nooo, you people always have to resist."_

 _Tears started running down Ryan's face. "Please, don't take her. Take me, tell him you found me but not her. Just leave Rachel alone." He begged._

 _The man's grip loosened a bit. "Huh." Ryan turned to look at him, and the man had a look of surprise across his face. "You seriously don't care if I take you?"_

" _No, I don't." Ryan answered without hesitation. "Just… please leave Rachel. You don't know what he'll do to her."_

 _The man's eyes had softened. "You know, you're the first brat I've been hired to take in who hasn't fallen to their knees and begged me not to take them. Almost makes me feel guilty. Almost." He added, tightening his grip on Ryan._

" _No! Wait, wait! Look, I can give you the money we have saved! Whatever he's paying you, it's bound to be enough to cover one of us!"_

 _The man ignored him, taking out a pair of cuffs. "Don't you have a sister? Or a brother? Someone you'd do anything for?"_

" _My brother hates my guts." He grunted, cuffing Ryan._

" _But do you hate him?" Ryan asked as the man started leading him to the door. "If he were in trouble, wouldn't you help him?"_

 _The man stopped halfway through the doorway to stare at Ryan. "You really care about her, don't you?"_

" _She means everything to me." Ryan said, a pleading look in his eyes. "I told you, you can do whatever you want to me, just leave her."_

 _The man seemed to argue with himself, before sighing. "Son of a bitch…" he took out a key and freed Ryan. "Tell me what. Give me that money you mentioned, and I'll tell Nathaniel I couldn't find you, and I have other jobs to do. Got it?"_

 _Ryan nodded frantically, running to grab a check book. He started writing a number in there. "This is enough to send someone to medical school for two years." He said, ripping out the check and handing it to the man. "It's from a secure account."_

 _The man took the check, whistling. "Awfully generous. This is twice what Nathaniel offered."_

" _You never saw us, right?" Ryan asked._

 _The man pocketed the check. "Boy, I don't even know who Ryan Mattson is." He replied, winking at Ryan and turning to walk out the door. He stopped for a moment to look back at him. "Don't worry, he has no idea where I've been going. I didn't tell him you were here." With that, he left. Ryan watched him go, then breathed a sigh of relief. That money took a lot of sacrifices and a lot of time to come up with, but they could get it back. As long as Nathaniel didn't find them, they'd pull through._

 _Down on the streets, the man whistled as he waited for a cab. He had already texted Nathaniel. His phone was already buzzing with angry replies, but he ignored them. The vibrations felt good anyway. He glanced back up at the window of the apartment, and frowned. He pulled out the check. That was a specific example, med school for two years…_

 _He realized that it_ was _college money. Probably for the girl. He glanced back up. He started feeling… guilt?_

 _He took out his phone, ignoring Nathaniel's texts and pulling up a certain contact. His brother's smiling face stared back at him. He hesitated, then hit call. It rang three times, before it was answered. "Bobby? It's… it's Donny." He said hesitantly. He smiled as his brother's voice responded. He sighed, setting his phone in his cheek and started ripping up the check. "Yeah, it has been awhile. Listen, I've been thinking… I was a real ass. And I wanna make up for that." He let the shreds of paper fly away in the wind. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm in Boston… I would love to." He said, grinning as he got into the cab that had pulled up. "Why? Uh… I guess you could say I've recently been reminded about the importance of family, that's all."_

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Ryan drove in silence. He drove down the highway, back to the camp. He knew that they knew he was coming. And that's what he wanted. He wanted that bastard to know that Death was coming. He was going to walk in there, and kill him. He relished the thought, smiling for the first time since Rachel… he scowled again. He gripped the steering wheel. He knew he was being watched, he had seen the snipers. He arrived at the gravel path, not slowing down, not taking precautions to prevent flying off the road. The wheels kicked up gravel and dirt, and he finally arrived at the gate.

It started to open as he got out of the car. Nathaniel walked out, his gaze moving to the car. "What the hell did you do to my car? Is that a damn turret?"

Ryan advanced on his father. "It ends here, Nathaniel."

That brought his gaze back to Ryan. "You hate me, and I sure as hell hate you, boy. But I am your father, and I would thank you to refer to me as such."

"I have no father." Ryan growled. "I never did. Only an abusive drunk that barely kept me alive."

Nathaniel grinned. "And as always, you're all bark and no bite. You talk a lot of shit for a pussy boy."

"Fuck you!" Ryan snapped. "I'm going to kill you. Right here, right now. In front of all of your followers."

A look of shock spread across Nathaniel's face, before he started to laugh. "Well, this is turning out even better than I imagined! Take a seat boys and girls," he said, turning to face the Enforcers. "You're all in for a show!"

They all laughed, taunting laughter hitting Ryan from every angle. "He thinks he take on the boss man?" "Moron." "Brat's gonna get himself killed." "I can't wait to see this!" "Pass the whiskey, this is gonna be good!" "Stupid kid." "Did he come here by himself?"

He blocked it out, focusing on his father, who was grinning as his followers cheered him on. "Alright, boy. One on one. A good old fashioned death match. Maybe you've toughened up a bit in the seven hours since I last kicked your scrawny ass."

Ryan straightened himself. He had come here alone, but not unprepared. His hunting knife in it's sheath on his belt, his gun in the holster strapped to his leg, a machete strapped to his back. And his M4 in the front seat of the Mustang should he need to run to grab it.

Nathaniel had a hunting rifle slung on his back, twin pistols in holsters at his sides, each leg with a dagger in a sheath. And of course, his tire iron, which he slapped his palm with.

They started to circle, Ryan struggling to keep a level head, waiting for him to make the first move. The Enforcers formed a ring around them, shouting and jeering. "Kick his ass, boss!" "You're going down, kid!" "Brat's got balls comin' here!"

Nathaniel seemed to draw power from the crowd, throwing his arms out. "Ain't got the brass to throw the first punch? Fine." He charged forward suddenly, slamming the pipe into Ryan's gut. Ryan fell to the ground, gasping as he groped for his knife. He drew it, and slashed out, nipping his father's pant leg. Nathaniel grinned at the effort, grabbing Ryan by the hair and tossing him at the wall of Enforcers. They grabbed him and oushed him to the ground, some kicking dirt over him. He coughed from the dirt cloud, and Nathaniel picked him up by the collar of his jacket and threw him back to the center of the circle. Ryan scrambled back to his feet, gritting his teeth and swiping at his father. Nathaniel sidestepped his attack, then stepped back as Ryan let loose a short flurry of swipes, kicking his knee after he finished. Ryan went down to meet Nathaniel's fist, sending him sprawling into the dirt, his knife skittering to the edge of the ring. He reached for it, and an Enforcer used his foot to kick it away into the bushes. Ryan paled as his foot was grabbed, and Nathaniel started dragging him around the edge, the Enforcers taking turns kicking him and punching him as his father paraded him around.

Ryan coughed up blood, turning to glare at his father. "What happened to one on one, coward? Who's the pussy now?"

Nathaniel roared at that, throwing him to the center of the circle again. "You got balls talking to me like that, boy! But balls can't protect you, not from me!" he kicked Ryan in the gut, and did again, kicking him over and over while he was down. He drew the tire iron, raising it over his head, and brought it down.

Ryan drew his machete, blocking the blow and using the blade to slap his father's hand away long enough to crawl away and back to his feet. He roared, and brought the blade down, and managed to scrape Nathaniel's face. He howled and clutched his face, and Ryan moved forward to run the blade through his father. An Enforcer ran forward and tackled him, saving Nathaniel. Other Enforcers moved forward to protect their leader, starting to beat on Ryan as he was pinned to the ground. He coughed, groaning in pain as feet connected to his face.

Gunshots rang out, and the Enforcers started falling. THey whipped around, trying to locate the gunfire. A loud bark was heard, and Diego charged out of the bushes, John following, Sakura and Jaina close behind, Tristan staying behind with his DMR.

John snapped the neck of the first Enforcer he reached, flipping another and burying his tomahawk into the head of the next. He drew his shotgun, and blew off the heads of three more before kicking another to the ground. Jaina had a bat and a pistol, and ran forward to clear Ryan of the pile of Enforcers on top of him.

Sakura drew her bow, firing arrow after arrow into the foreheads of the Enforcers, taking time to decapitate any who got too close with her katana. Diego stayed near her, acting as a guard. Tristan covered them all, shooting anyome who who got too close to his friends.

With them taking care of the surrounding Enforcers, that left Ryan uninterrupted to take on his father. He drew his pistol, dual wielding it and the machete, and stalked towards his father. Rage consumed him now, all logic and reason gone from his mind. He let out an animal cry, runnign forward and squeezing the trigger, trying to shoot his evasive father.

Nathaniel ducked behind a tent, drawing his hunting rifle. He turned to find Tristan, and got him in his sights. He grinned, and pulled the trigger as Ryan tackled him. The shot went wild, hitting an Enforcer instead as Diego tore at his arm.

Ryan held the blade against Nathaniel's neck as he grabbed Ryan's arm, keeping him from getting the edge of the blade any closer. They struggled, Nathaniel overpowering Ryan and shoving him off to climb to his feet. He was furious now, swinging the tire iron wildly at his son. Ryan dodged them, bringing his fist into Nathaniel's stomach, bringing him down to hit him again over the head.

John wrestled with an Enforcer briefly before snapping his neck. Then he felt a sharp, cold blow to his cheek, falling to the ground. A grinning Enforcer stood over him, sporting a pair of twin golden brass knuckles. He punched John again, the knuckles amplifying the blow. He fell down again, gritting his teeth. The fists were brought down again. This time, John grabbed them, growling as he crushed the squirming man's hands in his own fists. The man went to his knees, struggling to get away. John brought his knee up to connect to his chin, breaking his jaw and causing him to fall to the ground. John stomped on his head, removing the knuckles from his hands and sliding them over his own. He admired them for a moment before using them, his raw strength increased by the knuckles knocking out several Enforcers as they came near.

Jaina fought her way to Ryan, beating down Enforcers and shooting them. She spotted him grappling with Nathaniel, and ran into the tent.

Ryan punched Nathaniel, then again in the gut, and again in the jaw. Nathaniel fell to his knees, struggling to fight as Ryan mercilessly beat him. He was screaming in fury the entire time, and after bloodying his father's face, spun him around to kick him out of the side of the tent.

Nathaniel went sprawling in the dirt, and Ryan wrapped his hands around his throat, choking him. Nathaniel squirmed, getting his foot up and kicking Ryan off, coughing as air started flowing through his throat again. "You'll pay for that, boy." he growled.

Ryan stood up. "No. I'm killing you." he growled back. "I'm not a little defenseless boy any more. I'm not weak any more. Now, I can take. You. Down."

On that last word, he charged again, Jaina stepping out to watch. She aimed her gun at Nathaniel's head, when a hand lowered it for her. Tristan was standing next to her, glaring at Nathaniel. "He needs to do it. He needs to be the one to bring him to justice." She lowered her gun, looking back at the struggle in worry.

John beat in the head of an Enforcer, Sakura stabbing another. They were panting, covered in blood. The camp was scattered with corpses, a massacre. And to their surprise, there were only a half dozen Enforcers left, and they were cowering in fear. John and Sakura advanced towards them, Tristan and Diego joining them.

Nathanael shoved Ryan to the ground again, and he rolled over to come face to face with a corpse. To his horror, Rachel's eyeball stared back at him, her skull beaten to shards.

That was what sent him over the edge. He screamed, rage blinding him as he turned and swung wildly at Nathaniel. His father tried to evade, but to no avail He fell to the ground, Ryan savagely beating him. He tried in vain to block Ryan's fists with his arms, but Ryan clawed them away and punched him over, and over, and over, and over, and over…

Nathaniel was barely conscious when Ryan pulled away, panting like a rabid wolf. His eyes were wild, and he slowly drew his gun, and aimed it at Nathaniel's head. "It's _over_." he growled. "You've lost."

Nathaniel lifted his head, laughing painfully, his teeth bloodstained. "Go ahead, then. Shoot me. Or do you have the balls?"

Ryan growled, barely squeezing the trigger as he kept the barrel trained unwaveringly on his father's forehead. "You son of a bitch. No death is bad enough for you."

He grinned, coughing up blood, but still grinning. "You can't do it, can you? Have you even killed _anyone_ in this apocalypse?"

Ryan gritted his teeth. Then he realized. Everyone he had killed, it was always in self defense. Always to save his friends. Someone was always in danger. This, this was murder. Cold, helpless victim murder. His eyes widened, and he lowered the gun as Nathaniel burst out laughing. "God damn. Even the fucking apocalypse can't force you to grow a pair! Ha!"

Ryan scowled. "No. I'm not like you. I'm not a murderer." He grinned. "Besides. You're finished. The Enforcers are dead. You're broken and beaten. And now, you'll have to live with the knowledge that your 'pussy son' beat you."

Nathaniel chuckled. "Spin it any way you like. You're still a coward."

"No." Tristan growled. "If anything, it makes him a bigger man than any of us. Ryan is a rare case. He's kept his humanity. He's kept his morals. I envy him." he smirked as Ryan holstered his gun. "Unfortunately for you…" he drew his sword. "Unlike your son, I'm not above a little good old fashioned murder." he growled, grinning as he started walking towards Nathaniel. Ryan just watched, turning to walk away as Tristan stood over Nathaniel. "And unlike him, I like my kills to be slow, drawn out, and very, _very_ painful."

He raised his sword, and Nathaniel moved like a bullet. He knocked Tristan to the ground, whipping around to sock John in the face. He roared like a wild beast, taking off towards Ryan. He tackled him, sending them both to the ground, grappling with each other, fighting for the upper hand. Nathaniel started cackling, getting his arm across Ryan's throat. He pressed down, Ryan gasping for breath. "Come on, boy! Taunt me again! Run that big mouth of yours again!" Ryan choked, coughing. Nathaniel leaned in. "What's that? I can't hear you boy, you'll have to speak up!"

Ryan gritted his teeth. "Fuck. You." he growled. He had grabbed his pistol and pressed it to Nathaniel's temple. He barely had time to register before Ryan pulled the trigger. Nathaniel's eyes drooped, blood running down the other side of his head as he collapsed on Ryan. He struggled to push him off, wiggling out from under the corpse as he fought to get his breath back. He fell to his knees, the others hesitant to disturb his thoughts. He stared at his father's corpse. It was over. He had avenged Rachel, he had ended the nightmare. All of the pain he had ever caused, all the damage to the family righted. Nathaniel was dead, no more.

So why? Why did he still feel empty? Why did he only feel worse now that his father was dead in front of him?

 _Because Rachel is still dead._ He told himself. _You still failed, his death hasn't changed anything._

Tears started streaming down his cheeks, cutting a river in the blood caked across his face. He choked out a sob, and fell to his hands, hanging his head over his father's corpse as he cried. He threw his head back, screaming in anguish. He felt like he was going to puke.

Jaina looked worried, and looked to Tristan. "Should we help him?"

Tristan exchanged a glance with John. "I… don't know. He's suffered a lot, I don't know how we should handle this." he admitted.

John frowned in worry at their friend. "Maybe we should stay here, but for the time being leave him to his thoughts, let him sort this all… what is he doing?"

Ryan's eyes had fallen to the smoking gun in his hand. Was he seriously considering this? Of course he was. What did he have left? Rachel was his everything. He had been left without a purpose in this world. Now all he had was pain. All he had was bad memories, a dark past he'd never escape. He closed his eyes, all reason leaving him as he slowly pressed the gun beneath his chin. This was it. He never thought he'd die this way, he figured it would be a zombie, or he'd be saving Rachel or the group. Not like this.

But this was what it had come to. Jaina was running towards him, Tristan and John behind her. They were screaming at him to stop. But they were too far. They wouldn't make it.

 _Bang._

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 _Nathaniel stared in anger at the computer screen. His children had evaded him for too long. Four different men he had hired, not a single one had found him. Though he had his suspicions about the weird son of a bitch in the hawaiian shirt, he hadn't even come back to try and collect his money. Not that he would have gotten very far._

 _He growled in frustration, rubbing his brow as he thought. Those brats had actually escaped him. But they were still afraid of him, he knew that. Otherwise they would have turned him into the police. No, they just wanted to escape._

 _He rubbed the tire iron at his side. He had come so close, finally, to doing what he hadn't the balls to do for years. He had almost avenged Sarah. But he swore, next time he saw the bitch, he'd beat her head in. Same as her pussy brother. Those kids hadn't escaped him, not truly. They'd only delayed the inevitable. He had a purpose now. He knew his path now. He wouldn't stop looking until he had found them. And then, he'd kill them._

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Ryan felt fuzzy. It was black. Was this Hell? Couldn't be worse than life as he knew it back on Earth. At least the flames would replace the horrible numbness he felt. He heard crying, felt pressure around his chest. He couldn't breath.

He slowly opened his eyes, Jaina had her arms wrapped around him, sobbing into her shoulder. Where was he?

Nathaniel's body entered his vision,and it all came flooding back. Tristan and Sakura were shaking Jaina, telling her he was alive as John kneeled down to look at him in worry. He raised his hand, the pistol held loosely in his hand, blood dripping down the edge of his hand, the heat of the bullet seared his flesh. He realized what he'd almost done, and he groaned as he threw the gun away. Jaina gasped, pulling away to look at him. "Oh my God." she choked out, tears streaming down her face. "You asshole, I thought… Ryan what the fuck." she cried, burying her head in his shoulder again. He felt numb again, Tristan and John were staring at him, Sakura not looking him in the eyes. "Don't you dare try to pull that ever again."

He couldn't speak, settling for nodding to show he had heard. Sakura gently pulled Jaina away, Tristan and John helping Ryan to his feet. "I can't believe you almost fucking shot yourself." John growled. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." He mumbled in response. He allowed them to drag him to a sleeping bag, letting them lay him down.

Tristan turned him over, taking the knife from his scabbard. "If it's all the same to you, we're going to keep anything that fires bullets or is sharp away from you." He muttered, patting Ryan down to make sure nothing else was on him, reaching in his pocket to take out his pocket knife.

He turned to him. "What happened?"

"Jaina saved you from yourself is what happened. She shot your hand, not straight through, she made sure it just hit the side of your hand. Enough to stop you." he answered. "Jesus, Ryan, what happened?"

"I guess…" he muttered, turning to lay on his side. "…it all hit me. My failure, his death, me killing him, Rachel not being here anymore." his eyes welled up again. "It… it was so overwhelming…"

Tristan nodded, seeming to understand. "So, you snapped. From all the trauma. I can relate." he commented, wrapping Ryan's hand up in bandages. "Though I went on a killing spree instead of offing myself. But buddy, you need to realize not all is lost."

"How?" he replied, cynically. "How has my life not abruptly ended?"

"Because you're surrounded by family in your darkest moments. People who care about you. People who need you." he answered. "When you take your own life, you're not just hurting yourself. You're hurting everyone who cares about you. Kind of selfish, if you ask me. Taking the easy road out of your suffering when you can move forward."

Ryan didn't answer as Tristan finished his treatment, closing his eyes. He was tired, very tired…

The exhaustion set in, and a snore escaped his lips. Tristan set him up in the bag, Jaina walking over holding her walkie. "I've called the group in, they're going to come pick us up." she said. She looked at Ryan, and her eyes softened. "I can't imagine what he's going through."

"I have a bit of an idea. I can relate to loss. But I have no idea what kind of impact killing his father is going to have." Tristan said. "Best we can do is be here for him." he turned to look at her. "Stay with him, okay? I'm going to go talk with the others, set up a plan for moving on from here."

She nodded, Tristan sighing as he stood up. "Ryan's right." he muttered, walking out of the tent. "We never should have come here."

She kept her sullen look, sitting down next to the bed. She rubbed her eyes with one hand, reaching down and squeezing his hand. She was tired herself. But he would need a shoulder to lean on, someone to fall back on. She was determined to be that person.

She lay down next to him, closing her eyes for a brief rest before the others arrived. Ryan opened one eye, looking fondly at her before closing it again. Maybe they could move on, maybe not. But regardless, they were moving tomorrow. Best to get all the sleep they could get.

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 **And that concludes this arc. R.I.P. Rachel, and here's hoping Ryan can survive without his other half. Review!**


	33. A Horrible Turn of Events

**Intro**

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The following morning, they started driving. None of them had a destination in mind, so Sakura suggested they just drive until they find a good place to stop and rest. Just as long as they got out of New Jersey.

Bright purple and yellow bruises were starting to show on Ryan, his lacerations from his father's tire iron and the Enforcers' fists and boots clearly showing. He hadn't woken from his sleep, Jaina had carried him back from the camp to the RV. The exhaustion showed even in his sleep, his cheeks hollow and his eye sockets sunken, his breathing ragged. Pure adrenaline had kept him going for nearly thirty six hours. As he slept, Jaina applied medicine to his wounds, stitching cuts shut and rubbing cream on his many bruises. She finished her work, sighing and leaning against the wall, the vibrations from the bumpy road soothing. She glanced at Ryan, now shirtless as she had to take off his jacket and shirt to reach his wounds. Her eyes roved over him, and after a minute she realized she was staring at his chest. She flushed, hurriedly pulling a blanket over him. He responded, curling into the fabric and burying his face into the pillow. She brushed his sandy hair out of his eyes, frowning. She couldn't begin to imagine what he was going through.

Alec came over, sitting next to her. "How's he doing?"

"I think recent events have been a bit too much for him." She said sourly. "God, we can't seem to get a break, can we?"

"Doesn't look like it." he agreed, tucking his knees under his arms. "I can relate to losing family, but I can't imagine what it feels like to have your own father kill your sister. And on top of that he killed his father."

"I can't relate at all." She replied, sighing. "I was in Syria on Z-Day, two days later I was flown in to fight the dead on the home front. My family was already dead and put down by their neighbors." she let out a dry laugh. "At least they weren't zombies for long. I can be thankful for that much."

He nodded. "True." They felt the RV slow to a stop, and Jaina glanced outside. "We're stopping by the Impala's wreck. Ella wants to see if it can be saved." Alec told her.

The blanket flew aside, and Ryan slowly got up. "I'll look at the damage." he said dully, moving past a shocked Jaina and Alec. They exchanged a glance. "Should we let him go out?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not going to stop him. Think we woke him up?"

She watched him leave in worry. "Maybe. We weren't being quiet."

Outside, Ella was staring in horror at the wreck. She clutched a hand over her heart. "I'm sorry, Dean." she whispered. John squeezed her shoulder as he passed, inspecting the hood.

Ryan walked out to everyone's surprise, joining John and looking at the damage. "If you can find some way to tow it, I can try fixing it at the next garage we come across." he announced.

Tristan moved to the back of the RV, taking out a chain. "Will this work?"

Ryan nodded, moving to the mustang and grabbing some hooks out of his tool box. They connected the hooks to the chains, and linked both ends on the APC and the Impala. Ryan reached in and changed the gearshift, letting the tires go loose so John could pull it out with the APC. Once it was on the road, Ella gave Ryan a brief hug. "Thank you." she said, offering him a smile. "How are you doing?"

He shrugged, not answering as he went back inside the RV. Tristan made sure the chain was well connected, then joined him as everyone went back into their vehicles.

Alec watched as Ryan passed him, seeming not to notice anyone else as he threw himself back into the bed, pulling the blankets back over him and passing back out immediately. Jaina rubbed his shoulder, sitting down next to Alec. "I don't know." she said, grimacing. "I don't know if he's going to be okay."

Alec glanced at her. "He's strong, he'll get through it. I'm sure of it."

She smiled tiredly. "I know. I'm just worried about him.

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Ella rode behind John in the APC, trying to block out Aaron's snoring. Connor was asleep on the bench, squirming in his sleep. He and Alec had grown accustomed to each other over the past month, and it felt weird to him to not be sleeping next to him. But Alec had insisted on being there when Ryan woke up.

Ella huffed, blowing her hair out of her face. "So." she said, breaking the cold silence. "Any ideas where to go next? Or are we really just driving aimlessly?"

"I think we're all too emotionally drained to come up with a plan." John answered. And his words rang true, everyone was exhausted. "Besides, every time we go somewhere with a plan, shit hits the fan and people die."

Ella only nodded, leaning against the wall and sighing.

In the RV, Tristan drove as Sakura slept in the passenger seat. Her blanket started sliding off, and Tristan reached over to prop it back over her body. He smiled at her sleeping form before turning his attention back to the road. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. He grabbed the walkie talkie. "John, Elizabeth, slow down a bit." he said, stopping the RV.

The waving figure let out a cry of relief as he ran over to them, his oversized camping pack shaking back and forth as he ran. Tristan stepped out, John joining him as Elizabeth stepped out of the Mustang. Sakura and Jaina wandered out, Sakura rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Why we stop?" she slurred, blinking.

The man reached them, panting. "Are… you guys… headed… for Walkerville?"

John raised an eyebrow. "Walkerville? The hell is that?"

Tristan groaned. "Supposedly some huge town in Canada. There've been a few signs here and there, painted billboards and such. But it doesn't exist."

The man glared at him. "It does! I've been talking with a guy from there over my radio, it exists!"

"And has this man offered you any proof? Have you heard anything else?" Tristan asked skeptically.

The man's face fell. "Well, no, but…"

"Probably some freak you found by chance who's fucking with you." Tristan interrupted. "Look, did you want a ride or something?"

"As a matter of fact I did, just to the next town. I need to hotwire a new car, my old one just got smashed two days ago." the man answered, straightening himself. "And for the record, Walkerville does exist. I'm positive."

John cut Tristan off as he opened his mouth. "Hold up, you knew about this place? Why didn't you say anything?"

"A place like that couldn't exist." Tristan answered matter of factly. "There's no way. I saw a sign for it nearly three years ago claiming they had a population of over six thousand people. In this world, no way a place like that could hold up. Besides, if it were that big I would have heard definite proof by now."

"Those signs were made by people heading there." the man added. "Look, Walkerville doesn't just let anyone in. Everyone has to carry their own weight, unless they're sick or kids."

"Where have we heard that before." Jaina muttered. Ryan had wandered outside to listen, leaning against the door to the RV as the others debated.

John turned to the man. "Just the next town, that's it. We're not taking you to Canada."

The man sighed in relief, raising his hands. "Wouldn't expect you too. But, you should consider going yourselves. It's safe, and the people are supposed to be good."

"Emphasis on 'supposed'." John muttered. "Get in the RV, the next decent sized town is an hour away."

The man nodded earnestly, passing Ryan and climbing inside as everyone loaded back into the vehicles.

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Alec had let Ryan pass by to listen to the others talk without talking to him. When he walked back inside however, he grabbed Ryan's arm as he passed and pulled him into the booth. "We need to talk. Look, about the other day…"

Ryan tiredly held up a hand. "Wait, let me talk first." Alec closed his mouth, nodding as Ryan took a shaky breath. "I… was a total, complete jackass. The things I said to you, about Nathalie, they were unacceptable. Inexcusable. And I don't expect you to forgive me, not after all that. But I want you to know, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve any of that abuse."

Alec smiled softly. "I was actually going to apologize myself. You know, for punching you." he added, his eyes falling to the one bruise on Ryan's face not inflicted by his father. "And for forgetting what it felt like to lose not just a sibling, but a best friend. I know you didn't mean any of the things you said. We all know. And I know that everyone else, like me, has already forgiven you." He took Ryan's hand and squeezed it. "We're family, alright? If anything, I think recent events have only brought us closer together."

Ryan felt a tear form in his eye, and he pulled Alec into a tight embrace. "Thank you." he whispered, trying not to cry.

Alec wrapped his arms around his friend, smiling. "We're all here for you, man."

Ryan nodded, pulling away and wiping his eyes. "That… that means a lot to me. Thank you." Alec squeezed his shoulder as ryan got up, flashing Alec another smile before walking over to the couch where the man was sitting, watching Mike and Tyson watch Kindergarten Cop with the kids. Alice and David hadn't said much since Tristan had made the announcement to the rest of the group. The fact that Rachel's body was in the trunk of the Mustang was exactly comforting either. But Ryan was adamant that she not be buried in New Jersey, and no one was about to deny him that request.

Ryan glanced sideways at the man. "Didn't catch your name." he said.

The man looked at him in surprise. "Huh? Oh. Uh, it's Jordan."

Ryan tilted his chin to look at him. "Jordan. Nice name. What's Walkerville like?" he asked. Straight to the point.

Jordan grinned. "It sounds too good to be true, but I'm sure it is. They're somewhere in Canada, Nunavut I think, around the border between it and Manitoba. It's cold as fuck there… pardon my language kids." he said sheepishly. The kids only grunted in response. "But anyway, I hear the cold affects the zombies. In a good way. Like, it slows them down. Not to mention they're too stupid to walk away from snowdrifts or hanging icicles. Apparently they have some kind of heat generator they got working. Rumors of the population vary, between six thousand and twenty five hundred. They reset a democracy there, no one person is in charge. They got elections every year and everything. Not too many places are making a real effort to rebuild society, but these guys are doing it. A reliable food source, protection… what more can you ask for?"

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "And you really believe it exists?"

"I have to." Jordan admitted. "I've lost… so, so much. We all have. I need something to cling on to, some hope that maybe things will be okay." They were silent then, Ryan turning his words over in his mind as Jordan sat in awkward silence.

After almost half an hour, Ryan got up, going over to the driver couch, leaning against the back and sticking his head between Sakura and Tristan. "Can you get John and Ella on the radio?" he asked, and Sakura reached out and called them.

A second passed before John's voice came on. "What is it?"

"Guys," Ryan announced. "I think we should try going to Walkerville."

"What?!" Tristan said, turning to look at him before Sakura grabbed his chin and forced him to look back at the road. "Why?" he asked, calmer.

"I second that, why?" John asked. "Oh, Ella thirds that."

"Because we have spent nearly five months out here in the outside. And all we've found is trouble."

"Need we remind you most of that trouble came from towns or large groups?" Ella chimed in.

"But this place, it just sounds too big to be corrupt. Harper brainwashed the guards, but this place has to have at least five times the size of the force there. Marlo and… and Nathaniel…" he had to force his father's name out. "They managed to get together bands of thugs and criminals. Wade and what's her face, McKenna, they were just two individuals. And Jarod's actual force of bad guys was small, not a whole lot of people are willing to be cannibals. Besides, they have systems in place to keep the ones with power in check. And…" he added. "Nunavut's temperature is supposed to affect the dead. Make them slower, less dangerous." Ryan finished.

"Look, I admire your optimism, but I'm personally getting tired of trusting people and it coming back to bite me in the ass." John replied, the bitterness in his voice clear.

Sakura glanced at Ryan, and then at Tristan. "Guys, would it hurt to at least look into it?"

"It's a waste of time." Tristan answered. "Besides, I despise the cold, and I'm not about to drive all the way to the coldest part of Canada."

"They probably have a heat generator." Sakura persuaded. "Besides, I know you don't like being cooped up, but if this place is as big as they say, I think you'd have plenty of room."

Tristan glanced sideways at her, and sighed. "Look, I don't want to do it. But I'll go with the group." He looked at her again, this time head on. "But like I said at Jarod's, I'm not staying in one place. I need to travel."

"We can go back to that later." Sakura said. "For now, I think it's worth checking out."

"How about we focus on finding a place to sleep for the night for now." Ella said, tiredness in her voice. "I think it's safe to say we're all exhausted."

"Damn right." Tristan replied. "We're almost at the town. Ella, look at a map and see if you can find a good place for us to stay the night."

"On it." Ella replied, the shuffling of the paper map reaching their ears before the radio switched off.

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Jordan immediately found a car, hotwiring it and waving goodbye as he drove off for Canada. They located a hotel on the map, and Tristan and Sakura headed inside with Diego to clear it out.

While they waited, Ella called John over. "Look," she said, pointing at a spot on the map. "There's a store house down in the woods here, about three miles in past the treeline. It's small, but it's military."

John raised an eyebrow. "Why would a military storehouse be marked on a map?"

"Tristan got this map off of a military convoy. They were provided with locations to various storehouses about a week after Z-Day, not long before the military officially broke apart. I think this one may be untouched." she answered, grinning. "We could use the supplies."

Tristan walked up, having finished with the hotel. "Guys, we have a problem. I took a look out of the top story window. I didn't realize we had driven so far west, but I recognize this area. This entire state is swarming with herds."

John paled. "What? Why?"

"We're in a valley, and the zombies tend to go where gravity takes them. They've all grouped together around here." he said grimly. "We may be able to stay one night, but staying any longer would be suicide."

"Then, that means the store house would be full!" Ella exclaimed. "It wouldn't have been looted!"

"Yeah, but sending any more than three people max would draw them all out. And three of us couldn't carry that much." Tristan argued. "Not worth the risk."

"Actually it is." John countered. "We used up a lot of ammo against Nathanael. We could use the ammunition if nothing else."

Tristan seemed hesitant. "Fine, I'll go."

"No, you need to stay here and make sure everything gets fortified for the night." John said. "I'll go."

Ella whistled, and Corporal came running. "Take Corp with you, he can help you avoid any herds. You know, early detection." She said, smiling. "Tristan, can we borrow Diego's armor? The pockets would be helpful."

Tristan nodded, and as he went into the RV to get the armor, John looked skeptically at Corporal. "Will he listen to me?"

"So long as you're not a jackass." Ella teased, scratching Corporal behind the ear. "He will. He's a good boy."

John humphed in response as Tristan came out and strapped Corporal in. "Don't die, okay?" he said, tightening the straps. "I've had some stupid plans but this…"

"This is not on par with your plans." John said, offering a small smile. "Mister jumps-out-of-a-moving-car."

"What about that time when we all met as one group and you jumped onto the back of that tank?" Ella chimed in.

Sakura was walking by, and added her memory. "Or the time you released a bunch of unstable pit fighters to unleash on Marlo?"

Tristan grinned at all of these. "Yeah." he said, reminiscing. "Good times. I'll have to tell you guys about the time I played bumper cars with a tank. But that's for another day." He said, finishing putting on the armor. "Alright, you're good to go. Get moving."

John nodded, setting his rifle on his shoulder. "I won't be long." was all he said as he started walking, Corporal tagging along behind him.

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The leaves crunching under John's boots were virtually silent. But to John it felt like he was setting off firecrackers with every step. The few twigs he stepped on sounded like cannons going off. John wasn't a paranoid man, and it took a lot to make him show fear. But he couldn't deny that he was in a dangerous situation, and the knowledge that in all likelihood he wouldn't survive a hood seemed to amplify his fear. If the dead heard him, there was virtually no hope of escape. He had to stop himself from jumping whenever a zombie entered his vision, always followed by a minimum of five more. The most he'd seen was a group of what he guessed to be around thirty wandering together like a school of rotting, groaning fish. Dangerous fish. Deadly fish.

He took a ragged breath, praying that the mutt wouldn't lead him to death. But so far the German Shepherd had been good at sensing approaching dead, letting him know to go still. Eventually, they reached the store house, and it was agonizing taking his time opening the rusty door, each squeak and creak cutting through the silence of the woods.

Once he was inside, he couldn't close it fast enough. He finally exhaled, he had been holding his breath for a while there. He fumbled around in the dark, finally feeling a lever and pulling it. Harsh lights blinded him, before he adjusted to see shelves of ammo. He grinned, Ella had been right. It seemed no one had been in here since Z-Day. Ammo galore filled his vision, and a crate of non perishables caught his eye in the back. Now came the hard part… choosing what to take and what to leave. He looked over Corporal's armor, it had several pockets meant for holding clips and grenades. He decided that grenades weren't a priority, Tristan and Jaina would be the only ones who could really make use of them anyway. Better to take what everyone could use. He spotted a quiver of military grade arrows, Sakura would want those, and he could sling the quiver over his shoulder and not take up any bag space.

He set down the two duffel bags he had been carrying, along with Tristan's satchel he had lent to him. He walked along the shelves, grabbing any ammo he recognized belonging to the weapon types they used. He was thinking how there weren't any weapons, when a pistol caught his eye. It was a heavy revolver, had a built in silencer, a scope, kickstand, laser sight. He grabbed it, along with the pack of ammo beneath it, tossing it in the satchel. He managed to stuff nearly half the store room in the duffel bags, and placing medicine from the first aid into Corporal's pockets. He grabbed some rations and soldier meals, stuffing them into the satchel. He hefted up the bags, they were heavy, but he could manage. He frowned, there was still half the ammo left. He didn't feel the grenades were a big loss, but still. He spotted a long box of sniper rounds, the kind Tristan used. He couldn't fit anymore in the duffels…

 _Screw it._ He started stuffing boxes down his shirt, they were cold against his skin but he didn't care. He managed to fit fourteen boxes in his shirt, and movement was awkward but still manageable. Now he just had to get back.

Corporal sniffed at the door, then sat back to let John know it was safe. This time he decided to just throw the door open, get it over with. A loud squeak resonated through the air, and John winced, he shouldn't have done that. But no groans, no shuffling, no dead bodies coming to dismember him. He breathed a sigh of relief, stepping outside when a man rna past him, grabbing the satchel. John stood shocked for a second before scowling and reaching for his gun. Then Corporal took off after the man, barking. John paled, and groans filled the air. And arguably worse, Corporal and the thief had disappeared. He cursed under his breath, and unhooked the radio as he ran. "Guys!" he hissed, "Problem! Corporal ran off!"

"What?!" came a screech from the other side. Tristan shushed her, and spoke in a whisper. "What happened?"

"Some guy showed up out of nowhere and snatched the satchel. Corporal ran after him, and now I can't find him!" John whispered back harshly. "Ella, the dead are closing in, i have to get back!"

"Don't you dare, you ass! Don't you dare leave my dog for those _things_ to eat!" She yelled.

"Quiet! I'm already in deep shit, I don't need your screeching attracting them to me!" he said angrily. He sighed. "Alright, I'll look for him. How can I find him?"

"Ella says to whistle, that's how she calls him." Tristan said. "So, do that."

John groaned. "Uh, Corp? Here… doggy doggy." he said lamely. He was breathing hard, and not from exhaustion. "Corp? Corporal!" he hissed.

No sign of the dog, and zombies were running by him in the trees, searching for the source of the new sounds. He scowled, and raised the walkie to his mouth. "I can't find him!" John whispered into the walkie.

"Give me that." Came Ella's voice. "John, I swear to Christ if you lose my dog I will castrate you. Understand?!"

He felt the temptation to mock the threat but repressed himself. "Don't you have a call or something?"

"You can try _whistling!_ " She snapped. "Like I told you before!"

He scowled. "That's not going to happen."

" _Why?!_ What the fuck is so hard about whistling?! What, you've never whistled before?" She was greeted by silence as John waded into the bushes. "John, you _do_ know how to whistle, don't you?"

"No, I don't." He snapped. "Isn't there anything else I can do?"

The walkie was silent as Ella sighed in frustration. "Okay, okay, hold the walkie over your head, and turn the volume all the way up." John raised an eyebrow but did as he was told, cranking the dial until it had gone all the way and raised it over his head. He winced as an ear piercing whistle shot out of the walkie, followed by Ella yelling. "Here Corp! Come to mommy, come on Corp!"

John looked around in a panic, she wasn't thinking! Moans started to be heard as the dead came towards the continuous whistling noise. He brought the walkie back down to his ear as he took out his gun and started to fire. "Are you insane?! You just put me in the middle of a horde!" He yelled angrily.

"Oh shit, John I'm so sorry! I wasn't…"

"Thinking?! You weren't thinking about the fact that Earth is overrun by a few billion undead monsters?!" He cut her off, running in the opposite direction as he kept firing. He turned around a tree, and stopped himself from running into a boomer. His eyes widened as it started trembling, then he heard a bark as Corporal flew out of the bushes, knocking the boomer down the hill. It exploded halfway down, John kneeling to avoid bone projectiles and infected body fluids. He gave Corp a quick pet before taking off, the dog running alongside him with the satchel in his mouth and blood coating his muzzle. A runner leapt for John, and he turned in a 360, kicking it away and never breaking his stride. The ammo boxes slapped against his skin, scraping across his chest, the duffel bags weighing him down. But he refused to die. Not here, not like this. He vaulted over a log as Corp leapt over it, the zombies behind him tripping over it and forming a temporary blockade. That was all the two needed as they escaped the horde, running back to camp.

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John and Corporal burst out of the trees five minutes later, huffing and puffing as Tristan and Sakura killed any stubborn runners who had kept up with the two. John scowled as Ella embraced Corporal, laughing as he licked her face. He struggled to his feet, Tristan helping him up and handing him a bottle of water. He drank from it gratefully, then cried out in surprise, stumbling under the tackle-hug from Ella. She buried her face in his shoulder. "I am so, so sorry." She choked. "I-I almost got you killed…"

He couldn't keep the scowl on his face. He had had every intention of yelling at her once he had gotten back, but all those thoughts faded away as he hesitantly hugged her back. "It's alright." he muttered. "You were worried about Corp, you just didn't think for a moment."

She sighed, drawing away and working to stop the tears from falling from her eyes. He reached out to wipe some from her cheek, then caught Ryan and Tristan both smirking like idiots at him in the corner of his vision. He shot a glare at them, but returned to comforting Ella. "I'm fine, it wasn't anything I couldn't handle."

"You're not immortal, John. A bite is a bite. I couldn't… live with myself if I… I…" she stammered.

"But you didn't. That's what's important." he stated. "I'm fine, Corp's fine, everyone's fine." he offered a small smile, hoisting up the bags. "Besides, I got the supplies didn't I? I'd say mission accomplished."

She smiled at his words, glaring over his shoulder at Jaina and Sakura who were grinning and giving her a thumbs up. "Good job, John. You both did great."

His smile grew as he went to add the bag to their supplies, Ella going to wash off the blood from Corporal's muzzle, Tristan following him. "So did you get some good stuff?"

"Plenty." He answered, emptying the bag. "Medicine, good preserved food, a shit ton of ammo, and look at this." he said, pulling out the pistol. "It looked powerful, but I wasn't sure what it wa…"

Tristan grabbed the gun out of his hands, examining it vigorously. "Holy fuck John, this is a _powerful_ gun!" He exclaimed, grinning. " _This_ baby is a Smith and Wesson XVR 460 Magnum! It has the highest velocity of any pistol in the world! Plus this high powered adjustable scope, a kickstand, a silencer, and to top it off a case of high power .50 caliber rounds! This is the gun you want to use when there's a zombie behind the refrigerator. In your neighbor's house. On the other end of the street. Where the hell did you find this?"

"Same place as I did the supplies." He smirked. "You're acting like a child who just got ten presents from Santa on Christmas."

"I feel like it too! This thing is _awesome!_ " He replied, a manic look in his eyes. "Use this on a horde, you'll kill the zombies _around_ the one you shot! Haha!"

John's smirk turned to a grin as Sakura snatched it out of his hands. "I do _not_ like that look, Jones. Maybe we should take this away from you for now." He let out a whimper as he grabbed for it. "Ah ah ah. You can have it when we need to kill stuff. Kay?"

He glared at her, but said nothing as she put it with the rest of the guns. His glare turned in John as he snickered. "The hell are you laughing at?"

John started laughing harder. "You're not even dating and you're whipped." He said between laughs. Tristan scowled, but John only laughed harder. He calmed down however when Tristan's scowl turned into an unsettling grin. "What?"

His question was answered when Ella grabbed his shoulder and led him over to the table. She gestured for him to sit down, and he complied as she sat next to him. "John, I'm going to teach you how to whistle."

He shot a glare over his shoulder as Tristan barked out a laugh, then looked back at her. "I don't need you to teach me how to whistle."

She raised an eyebrow. "John, you need to know how to whistle. It's useful in all kinds of scenarios."

He scoffed. "Like what?"

"Well, just off the top of my head, _calling a dog_." She stared pointedly at him. "Or signaling the others, or just communication in general."

"Or singing!" Tristan chimed in, appearing beside John and smirking. "Don't you want to do this?" He started whistling, and John instantly recognized the Imperial March. Ella joined in, and Connor came over and added his whistle to the song. Sakura started whistling from where she was, and John's eye started to twitch. "Alright!" He shouted, silencing the others. "I'll learn how to fucking whistle, just shut the hell up."

"Alright Grumpy. Enjoy your lesson." Connor teased, walking back off to where he had been before, Tristan following suit.

John looked back at Ella. "Alright, how do I whistle?"

"It's easy, it's all in how you form your tongue." She answered. "Watch." He raised an eyebrow as she opened her mouth. "Thee?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No, it's getting kinda dar…" he was silenced as she leaned closer, and he unwillingly flushed red. She pointed at her mouth, and he looked to see. At first he didn't even look at her tongue, rather that her mouth had settled into a puckered heart shape, a strand of her long ebony hair falling over her lips, and her breath hit his neck, sending a shiver up his spine. He forced himself to look at the tongue, rolled into what looked like a hotdog shape. Sticking out a little, curved…

He involuntarily leaned in, before catching himself and shooting back. She raised her eyebrow, closing her mouth. "Did you get it?"

"I, ah, yeah, yeah I got it." He said, feeling hot all of a sudden despite the chill in the air. He shakily tried mimicking her, rolling his tongue.

"Good, now put it behind your teeth. Form a small 'o'with your mouth, and just blow." She instructed. He complied, and to her delight a whistle came out. "Great! You have the hard part down. It's just like singing, just raise your whistle like you would your voice during singing."

He could do that. He nodded, standing up. "T-thanks." He stammered, flashing a grin at her in response to her smile, then rushing back to the APC. He wanted to be alone to try and figure out what the hell had just happened, then jumped when he saw Tristan grinning. " _Do not…_ "

"Calm down, I'm not going to tease you." He assured his friend. His grin grew. "Dude, why did you bail out? You almost kissed her!" John looked at Tristan as if he was crazy. Granted, he _was,_ but not in this case. "Oh don't look at me like that. It's so blatantly obvious you like her. How the two of you are so dense is beyond me."

"You're one to talk." John muttered, Sakura walking by. "Besides, I'm not entirely certain she's very fond of me, even _if_ that were true."

"She is, and it is true." Tristan said, stating it as a fact. "If she didn't like you she wouldn't have hugged you like that, or gone out of her way to teach you how to whistle."

John rolled his eyes. "She hugged me because she was worried about her friend, and she taught me because it's a valuable skill." He turned to climb in the APC, desiring nothing else than isolation.

As he climbed in, Tristan called after him. "You're living in denial buddy! I guarantee you it's gonna happen!" He smirked as he shut the cover. Sakura walked up beside him. "They are so blind."

"Totally." She agreed. "And they're so perfect for eachother, how can they not see it?"

He shook his head. "I can't understand why." He glanced at her and grinned. "How long before you think they hook up?"

"Dunno. He's stubborn, and I doubt Ella will make a move." She said, thinking. "Probably not soon."

"I dunno, I think things are heating up. I bet it's gonna happen in the next few weeks." He countered.

"No way, it's too soon." she argued. "Don't you know those two at all?"

"Three . _And_ I bet Ella will be the one who makes a move." He stated firmly.

She smirked. "Wanna bet on that?" Tristan nodded. "Alright, if I win, then you need to…" She thought for a moment. Tristan raised an eyebrow her face flushed for a moment. "…er, give me a… foot rub?"

Tristan laughed. "That's it? How about this. If you win, I…"

"Dance. To a song of my choosing." She interrupted, grinning. "I want to see if you can deliver in your claims of being able to do a dirty dance."

He returned the grin. "And if _I_ win, you have to sing a song of my choosing." She raised an eyebrow at the request. "Don't ask why. That's my deal. Do you accept?"

She shrugged, smirking. Then she remembered her bet with Ella, and grinned as she stepped closer to Tristan. "Doesn't matter." she said softly. "You could say that I'd have to blow you," Tristan flushed and choked at that, "there's _zero chance_ it's gonna happen in three weeks. You're on."

He recovered, grinning and shaking her hand, though she was satisfied to see the remnants of pink tinting his cheeks. "Sweet. And we can't force anything on them, or try and delay anything."

"Of course." She agreed. She laughed. "I think, I'll have you dance to 'For Your Entertainment.'"

"And _you_ will sing 'Confident.'" He responded.

Her eyes widened as she remembered the bath she and the girls took at the manor, and the song she had chosen to sing when she and Amber were alone. "Did you…?"

"I did _not_ peek." He said, as if he read her mind. "I _did_ , however, hear some intriguing singing." His grin widened. "I want my own private concert."

She smirked. "Alright. Game on."

He returned the smirk. "Game on."

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That night, Tristan volunteered to take first watch. As the others slept in a circle in the lobby, Tristan paced outside, Diego by his side. The night sky was clear, and Tristan gazed at the starry sky. Nature was retaking the world, and the sky was clearing up again, previously invisible stars lighting up the sky once more.

But he couldn't ignore those moans. He cringed at a particularly loud growl. Maybe more than two of them should have been on watch, Diego was whimpering, and it took a lot to unsettle him.

He sighed, then shrieked as he bumped into a body. He turned to decapitate the zombie, holding back at the last second as Tyson's terrified face came into his view.

Tristan's look of brief fear turned to a scowl. "What the fuck are you doing out here?!" He hissed. "Do you _want_ to turn into a headless corpse?!"

"Sorry, sorry!" he cried. "I-I was just…"

Tristan narrowed his eyes, and glanced at the window. "Wait, this is the girls' side." he glanced in the window, and Amber came into his direct line of sight. Her arms were covering her face, her hair a mess, her clothes strewn around her as she slept in her bag. Tristan's scowl fell as he sighed. "You know she'd kick your ass if she knew you were watching her sleep, right? Most girls don't admire peeping toms."

"I know, it's just, everytime I try talking to her I either freeze up, or Mike steals her attention." he said sourly.

Tristan smiled. "Girls love confidence. You're a decent guy, there's nothing for her not to like."

"But what if she chooses Mike?" he asked somberly.\

Tristan shrugged. "Well, then that's life. I'd say there's plenty of fish in the sea, but, well, most of the girls you'll find are either dead, walking dead, or evil." he frowned as Tyson's face fell. "Just saying it like it is." he said. "Look, I'm sure things will work out. Besides." he said, grinning. "Everyone loves a love triangle. Makes things interesting."

Tyson scowled at that, looking back in the window. Then he smirked. "I think I see sakura from here too. Her shirt's o… HEY!"

Tristan had grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him away from the window, scowling. But as he led Tyson back, his eyes darted towards the window to glance inside.

He walked through the front doors, shoving Tyson towards his sleeping bag. He smirked to himself as he walked back outside, scratching Diego's ears. "Not his fault." he said to the dog. "We were all perverts as kids. I remember this one time, the girl's locker room had a hole that reached to the boys room on the other side, and…" he paled as a particularly loud groan reached his ears. So close…

A boomer ran out from behind a corner. Tristan barely had enough time to grab Diego's scruff and yank him away before it slammed into the wall and exploded. Acid splashed against the ground, and the force sent Tristan sprawling.

Groans filled his ears, and Tristan struggled to his feet as Runners vaulted over the fence. He opened fire, but they were getting closer. Diego tackled one, but then another tackled Tristan. Then it's head caved in, John standing over him with his brass knuckles clenched in his fists. He helped Tristan to his feet as Sakura ran out with her bow, her shirt barely thrown on.

A roar reached their ears a second before the fence smashed apart, a tank barreling towards them. Tristan gulped, but drew his sword, running for a small hill and leaping off the top and latching onto the tank's arm. It roared, turning to it's side so that Tristan got the brunt of the impact as it smashed through the walls into the hotel. Tristan fell to the ground, now barely conscious as pain racked up and down his back. Faintly he heard Sakura run over and try to revive him.

His eyes shot open as Alice screamed, and the tank shot past, Alice clutched in one fist, David in the other. It ran back outside, and Tristan struggled to his feet, Sakura helping him up as they ran after the tank, Elizabeth following them, screaming.

As they followed the tank, John saw them running out of the corner of his eye. Ella saved him from a bite, burying her dagger in the zombie's skull. A spitter rounded the corner, and spat. Acid splashed against Ella, and she screamed as her arm sizzled. John let out a roar, taking out his tomahawk and decapitating the monster in one swipe.

Ella clutched her arm, crawling to safety as Connor and Dani ran out to assist, Sorano picking up a gun and shakily firing.

Ryan stayed inside with Jaina and Alec, shooting any zombies that made it past the others, guarding Aaron, Mike, and Amber. Mike took Amber's arm, gesturing to Aaron to follow him to a basement door he saw. But before they reached it, a boomer exploded next to the boiler.

An explosion rocked the inside of the hotel, knocking out the supports. And Ella watched in horror as the entire building collapsed, Ryan, Alec, and Jaina still inside with the kids and Aaron. Sorano screamed, John holding her back as she tried to run into the dust to save Amber, tears forming rivers in her wrinkles. Connor and Dani turning away as Dani shielded Tyson's mortified eyes. There was no way they survived, the metal supports had caved in, dust and debris burying them.

Ella consoled Sorano as the others reluctantly started fighting again, the zombies still closing in. Then John cried out as the tank returned, recognizing the tattered plaid shirt hanging from it's neck. But what horrified him, was the blood and limbs hanging from it's jaw. _Not them too_ …

For the first time in a long time, tears formed in his eyes. He did a head count, and to his sorrow, he, Ella, Connor, Sorano, and Dani and Tyson were the only ones left. "FALL BACK!" He screamed. "There's no one left, we have to leave!"

Sorano screamed at this, and Ella struggled to drag her towards the APC. Then they paled as the tank smashed it apart, picking it up and throwing it at them. They ducked, the metal corpse of the vehicle narrowly taking their heads with it as it crashed into the rubble of the hotel, another car joining it. John settled for the Impala, waving everyone inside. Connor restrained Sorano as Ella hurriedly started up the car, John kneeling on the roof, desperately defending them. The engine revved, and Ella floored it out of the lot, John barely swinging inside through the window. Sorano finally gave up, screaming into Connor's shoulder, his face stony but pale. "Alec…" he whispered. The tank roared, not bothering to give chase, instead throwing debris around. John laid his head back, and let the tears come. More than half of them, dead within the span of five minutes. It didn't seem real. Ella was white knuckled, openly crying as Dani sat in the passenger seat, consoling Tyson in her lap.

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Tristan grit his teeth, ignoring the sharp pains that shot up his spine as he bolted after the tank. Alice was screaming, David's head flopped around, silent. Tristan prayed he hadn't died. Traumatized he could deal with, mentally dead from the horror was fine. But please, God, don't let him be dead.

Sakura ran beside him, Diego on the other side, Elizabeth trailing behind. Alice grabbed a branch from a tree, the bark biting her fingers, but she didn't care. She twisted around, and jabbed the branch into the eye of the tank. It roared, it's grips loosening enough for Alice to squirm out, grabbing David's hand as she fell. They toppled to the ground, but they were safe as the tank careened into a tree. Tristan grabbed them, squeezing them in relief.

They weren't safe yet, though. The tank ran towards them, and Elizabeth took the kids' shoulders and pulled them away as Tristan and Sakura prepared to engage the monster, Diego growling in between them.

The tank neared them, and Tristan dodged, drawing it's attention. As it chased him, Sakura ran behind, managing to grab onto a bone protruding from it's back and hauling herself up. She climbed onto it's back as Tristan led it through the trees, runners running alongside the tank. Sakura made it to it's neck, her teeth smashing together from the jolting and bumping from the tank's running. But she managed to draw her sword, and jabbed it into the creature's eye. It roared, and flung her off, and she was barely able to cry out as she slammed into a tree trunk.

Tristan grit his teeth, resisting running to help. The best thing he could do was lead the dead away from her. He spotted a bunch of deer running, and he pulled out his DMR. "Sorry guys," he muttered, firing his gun, careful not to kill them, only shooting their legs so they would be alive to draw the zombies away. The deer squealed, and as he ran the ploy worked, the runners and tank alike dove for the terrified deer. He circled around through the trees, getting back to Sakura and grabbing her, carrying her bridal style back to the kids and Elizabeth.

Liz was cradling a barely conscious, groaning David in a hollow tree as Alice defended them, shooting zombies in the heads. Tristan dropped Sakura in a pile of leaves, drawing his sword and slashing them apart, staining the snow with red as he growled like a rabid animal. After less than a minute, the zombies lay in a mutilated mess, Tristan panting and huffing. Diego's ears pricked up, and Tristan read the signal. He grabbed Sakura, pulling her into the hollow tree with Diego and Alice. Less than a second later, the tank bolted past, deer limbs hanging from it's bloody maw, heading back for the hotel. Tristan breathed a sigh of relief, then caught sight of Elizabeth's tearful expression. "What? We're safe."

She looked at him. "There was an explosion. A big one. I saw the top of the hotel collapse, and I stopped hearing gunshots. But the groans are still there. I… I think…"

Tristan paled. "No, they can't… it's not true. It's not!" he said, but he looked the opposite of sure. He picked up Sakura, and stood up. "Let's head back. When we get there, they'll have finished off the zombies, and everything will be okay." He said, this time putting on a weak grin. "Come on, let's go."

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When they got back, Elizabeth groaned, and Tristan barely kept Sakura in his arms. The hotel had been completely demolished, the APC smoking in a pile of twisted metal. And worst of all, the zombies were still there, the tank patrolling the area, it's remaining beady eye keeping an eye out for the living.

Elizabeth covered her mouth, choking in a sob as Alice and David clutched Tristan's jacket. Tristan was dumbfounded, in denial. "They can't… no…"

The zombies below were feasting on various corpses, bodies torn and ripped beyond recognition. The RV was still upright, as was the Mustang. Another car was tossed next to the APC, smoking as well, and though it was also mutilated, it was the same color as the Impala. So… the vehicles were all there, mutilated bodies, a demolished hotel… they were gone.

Tristan felt like dropping right there and shutting down. But Sakura was in his arms, Alice and David clutching onto him and looking to him for support, Elizabeth looking lost and terrified. He had to stay strong, for them. He took a shaky breath, and looked at the RV, near the edge of the parking lot. If they were quiet…

"Follow me. Zero. Noise. Got it?" he whispered, and the others nodded, thankful he had a plan. He slid down the slope, creeping towards the RV. Somehow, over what felt like an hour, they made it. Tristan opened the door, and shuffled them inside. He followed them, closing the door behind him. Alice and David sat on the couch with Elizabeth, and Tristan laid Sakura on his bed, moving to the driver's couch. He stuck the key in the ignition, took a breath, and started the car. Immediately, a roar sounded. Tristan floored it, and the others fell back as he raced out of the lot, the tank pursuing them as the other zombies trailed behind.

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Ryan pushed up on the door to the basement. They groaning had stopped nearly an hour ago, as had the gunshots. But they were trapped, and so far no effort had been made to dig them out. Not even a call, and now Ryan was fearing the worst.

Jaina groaned, and Ryan ran back down. The shard of metal was still lodged in her calf, and Alec was keeping her talking, or at least mumbling. Ryan squeezed her hand, then stood up. "Anyone find a light yet?"

In response a light blinded him, Amber standing proud next to a light switch. "Found one!"

Ryan didn't respond, only nodding as he turned to Mike. "Mike, I gotta say, you saved our asses. If it weren't for this basement…"

"We'd be pancakes." He finished solemnly. "So now instead of being crushed to death, we can starve, suffocate, or die from dehydration. Wonderful." He said sourly.

Ryan frowned, surveying everyone. Jaina nearing unconsciousness, Mike depressed, Alec tired, Aaron unconscious in the corner. Only Amber seemed to be cheery, confident the others would dig them out soon. Ryan sat down, huffing in irritation. The outside was scarily silent.

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The following morning, the lot was clear. The fallen hotel still had dust floating around it, and blood coated the ground.

Then the rubble shifted, and a pile of bricks were slowly pushed aside, and Ryan poked his dusty head through the hole he had made. He scanned the lot, and when he saw the smoking cars and bodies, he felt like he was going to vomit. It couldn't be...

Mike joined him, and called down to the others. "It's all clear!" he turned to Ryan. "What?"

Ryan halfheartedly gestured towards the lot. "They're… they're all… God, I can't even say it…"

Mike looked where he was gesturing, and paled. "No…"

Ryan didn't have the heart to acknowledge him. Amber crawled up, followed by Alec and Aaron. Ryan went back down, and carried up Jaina. She grunted in pain, still barely conscious.

Amber was vomiting, Aaron on the verge of screaming, Alec pale faced. Mike was trying not to vomit himself as he tried in vain to comfort Amber.

Ryan felt like crying, when Jaina shakily raised a hand to grip his shoulder. "Im… pala… R… V…"

He raised an eyebrow, then he grinned. The Impala and RV were gone! The car next to the smoking APC was a Ford Focus, he could tell. "Check the bodies!" he cried.

Mike rushed to comly, then he whooped. "Animals!" He cried. "Deer, a wolf, I think a couple groundhogs… guys, they're alive!"

Everyone sighed and cried in relief, when Aaron spoke up. "Then… why aren't they here? Why didn't they dig us out?"

That made everyone freeze. Then it dawned on Ryan. "They didn't know about the basement… they think we're dead." Everyone was silent as they stared at him. "Guys… they left. They couldn't dig us out even for our bodies. We're… we're on our own."

Amber shut down then, kneeling on the ground and staring blankly at the ground. Aaron started tearing at his hair, cursing. They were alone… and they wouldn't see the others again.

Ryan saw that no one was going to make a move, so he cleared a throat. "Look, we need to get out of here. Regroup. Everyone head for the Mustang."

They complied silently, and Ryan set Jaina in the passenger seat as he slid into the driver's. He started up the car, and sighed. This… this changed everything. He would be looked to now for leadership. He gripped the steering wheel, determination in his eyes. He vowed to take care of what was left of this family. And he knew exactly where to go. Walkerville. They would be safe there, he was sure of it. He dug around the glove box, and pulled out the world map book. He located Nunavut, and selected the trail. He started the car, and started down the road. They would get there, and hopefully meet the others, if they had the sense to head for safety. Regardless of what happened, things would be different, at least for now. Painfully, extremely, wholly different. He focused on the road, taking his family to safety.

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 **What. A. Turn. Of. Events. What will happen to our beloved group now? Find out next time! Review!**


	34. A Mother's Loss

**So this is how this is going to work. I'll focus on one group at a time. Tristan's group will be first.**

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Alice stared out the window in silence as the trees flew by. The steady blur was calming, but it did nothing to stop the pain in her chest. The pain of their loss. David had his face in his arms, kneeling in front of the table. Whether he was asleep, praying, or just silently thinking, she didn't know. Nor did she care. Elizabeth was still crying, in shock as Tristan drove without speaking. He had Disturbed playing, Save Our Last Goodbye, but he had been considerate enough to the others to at least not blast it.

But it was still getting on Elizabeth's nerves. "Do you _have_ to blast that God-awful noise?" she muttered irritably.

He scowled. "When my grandmother died, I listened to music. When the family dog died, I listened to music. When my buddies were shot next to me in battle, I listened to music in the barracks. When I was forced to shoot my friends and family after they turned into cannibalistic monsters, I fucking listened to music. This is how I cope with loss, deal with it."

Instead of responding, she simply reached out to turn it down, and was met by Tristan's hand shooting out and gripping her wrist. "You don't like it? Walk."

She snatched her hand back. "You don't have to act like a jerk. We're all dealing with the loss here, and your 'music' is just adding to the depression."

He slammed on the brakes, and threw open the door. "Walkerville is a little over nineteen hundred miles that way." he said, jabbing his thumb and grinning coldly. "Have fun. Take a map if you want, hope you like walking in the snow."

"You jackass!" she shouted, scowling. "How dare you…"

"Stop fighting!" Alice screamed. Even she was surprised by her outburst, but she didn't show it. "The last thing we need is to be fighting each other! We're all that's left, and all you're doing is growing further apart." Tristan and Elizabeth stared at her in shock. "Tristan, please close the door. Liz, please stop trying to mess with the music."

They silently complied, Tristan closing the door and sitting back at the steering wheel, Elizabeth moving away from the controls. "Now, hug and make up."

Tristan whipped around to look at her. "What?!"

"In the bunker, whenever David and I fought, or fought with another kid, our parents would have us hug and make up, to show we were still friends." Alice repeated pointedly.

Elizabeth and Tristan exchanged a glance, and he hesitantly opened his arms. "I'll stick with a handshake." Liz said, extending her hand which Tristan gladly shook. He started driving again, and after a minute reached out and turned down the music a little. He said nothing, and neither did Elizabeth, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed.

After another hour, a groan hit their ears. Tristan moaned, he'd rather it was the groan of a zombie than her waking up. He dreaded telling her what happened, but he had to be the one to do it. He switched the music off, and had Elizabeth take over driving. He moved to the back of the RV, Alice and David watching him as he kneeled next to the bed.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and she grinned tiredly. "...back in the RV? So we won?"

Tristan opened his mouth, then closed it. Where the hell would he begin?

She didn't notice his somber expression, cringing as she experimentally moved, pain all over her body. "Jesus… that tree…" she opened her eyes, and looked around. "Where is everyone?" Now she noticed Tristan's expression, as he stared at her, his heavy heart visible in his eyes. She shot up, fully awake now. "Tristan… where is everyone?"

He opened his mouth, choking before speaking. "Sakura… I… I really have no idea how to say this gently…"

"Tristan, you're scaring me. Where is everyone?"

Alice and David were captivated. Tristan whispered, something, and Sakura's mouth dropped. "No…" was all she got out before tears started running from her eyes. "Th-they're… no… no!" She grabbed his shoulders and shook him angrily. "You're wrong! They can't be…"

"They are." was all he said. He wasn't meeting her glare, he couldn't look her in the eye.

She let him go, the news sinking in. "John? Ella? Ryan? Aaron, Jaina, Alec, and Connor, and…" her eyes widened. "Amber… Mom…"

Tristan got up to pull her into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Sakura." he whispered, fighting not to cry himself. The others were all overcome with grief, crying and on the verge of hysterics. He had to stay strong, and he was terrified of letting the kids see him crying.

She pushed him away, thoughts all gone as she stumbled out of the bed, running for the door. Elizabeth hurriedly braked, Sakura flying outside while the RV was still moving and going to her knees, trembling. She felt pressure move from her gut to her throat, and she bent over the rocks as she vomited. She didn't feel Tristan's hand grip her shoulder in support, or feel him kneel next to her and hold her as she emptied her stomach onto the ground. She felt herself growing dizzy, and her vision started to go black. Tristan caught her before she could faceplant into her own mess, and helped her back into the RV, leading her back to the bed. She instantly drew the covers around her, burying her face into the pillow. She blocked out all outside noises, letting herself fall into the void of dreamless sleep.

Tristan watched as she switched off, and his heart pounded. He remembered in vivid detail the emotions, and lack of emotions, that he had felt when he had lost everything. He knew exactly what Sakura's family had meant to her, the people closest to her, the family that she had kept alive when so many before her had failed in that. And now, they had been taken away from her. And she wasn't there to see it. Whether that was better or worse, Tristan couldn't decide. Regardless, he knew how tempting it was to let darkness overtake you. He was determined to keep Sakura from descending to where he had fallen long ago. And so, he stayed by her, Diego coming over and laying next to her. Tristan kneeled by the bed, watching her sleep. He would be here when she woke up, and he would see to it that she would.

Alice and David came over as well, climbing onto the bed next to Sakura and Diego. They wiggled under the covers next to her, providing their warmth as they lay next to her. Tristan smiled at the scene, Alice and David on either side of her, Diego at the foot of the bed. Elizabeth was right, they were all mourning. The group was a family. But Sakura, not only had she lost the family, she had lost her blood. The two people she had spent the past five and a half years protecting were gone. She needed just as much support, if not more.

Elizabeth looked back to see Tristan staring at her in question. She smiled and nodded, showing she was fine driving for now while the others rested. Tristan grinned tiredly, resting his chin on the mattress as he kneeled, watching the four of them sleep.

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Late that night, Elizabeth yawned, her eyes heavy. Tristan had told her he'd take over in an hour. That was three hours ago. He had passed out, and she didn't have the heart to wake him up. But she had been driving for nearly thirteen hours now, and she had no idea what time it was. She didn't dare glance away from the road to look for a clock.

She yawned again, and she failed to notice her eyelids drooping. The car started listing to the side of the road, nearing the guard rail. Her eyes shot open at the scraping sound of the RV against the rail, and she brought the vehicle back into the lane. She shook her head, trying to wake herself up. She fumbled in the dark, finding her water bottle and taking another swig, downing the rest of the water bottle. She had hoped the crisp water would wake her up, but it had gone warm, and failed to make her any less eexhausted. The RV started listing again as her eyelids fell again, this time a snore escaping her lips.

That wasn't a scrape. Neither was that. Her eyes shot open as the vehicle started shaking, jostling her. She peered out of the windshield, and moaned as she saw that she was driving straight through a herd. Zombies clawed at the sides as she drove past, running over any dead in her way. She swerved, trying to avoid overturning them. Zombies slammed into the sides, and a spitter exploded as she hit it, acid splashing over the windshield and cracking it. A drop made it's way through, and sizzled against the dashboard. She started wildly trying to escape, and cried out as she heard a tire pop, and sparks flew as the rubber flew out from under the vehicle, hitting a pair of zombies in the faces. The RV was out of control, and in a panic she aimed for the woods.

Tristan ran over, grabbing the wheel and steering them back onto the road. "Power through!" he yelled, gritting his teeth as he drove straight through the herd as Elizabeth screamed and covered her eyes. A boomer ran towards them, and he turned to let the armored sides absorb the explosion as it slammed into the side. The vehicle rocked, and Alice and David cried out as Tristan ran over a trio of zombies. A faint roar of tank sounded, and Tristan grabbed Elizabeth and dragged her out of the driver's seat and slammed on the gas pedal.

The edge of the herd came into view, and Tristan navigated through the crowd, reaching it in a matter of seconds. They shot out of the herd, leaving the dead in a trail of dust as Tristan whooped in victory.

Then the tank ran out of the woods, and slammed into the side, sending it into the woods. Tristan shouted as they knocked trees aside, branches whipping against the glass. He failed to see the drop, and the RV sailed off the side of a hill, landing miraculously back on the wheels but skidding into a thick bunch of trees. The impact send them into the walls, glass falling out of the cabinets. Tristan smacked his head against the wall, Elizabeth sliding underneath the table.

The groans were getting closer, and Tristan forced himself to grab his katana and stumble outside. _Oh, fuck me._

He was seeing double, no way to accurately hit anything. The ground slanted, and Tristan was barely able to stand on his feet. _Fuck, fuck, fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck…_

He swung his sword, barely leaving a gash in the head of the zombie in front of him. As it fell, two more appeared behind it. He drew his gun, pressing the barrel against their heads and blowing out their brains. He wandered to the trunk, grabbing the revolver John had found. He peered through the scope, the magnification intensifying his headache. He fired, and a zombie went down, its head obliterated. The zombies surrounding it twitched, their eardrums popping.

The tank appeared, and Tristan aimed for it's eye. The tank roared after he fired, blood gushing from the wound as it ran around blindly. Tristan took aim again, and hit the other eye. The tank fell silent, the bullet puncturing the brain.

But even though the tank was down, he was quickly getting surrounded. Tristan weakly swung and shot, managing to take down a few. A runner tackled him, and he was barely able to cross his arms to keep it at bay as it struggled to bite down on his neck. Was this it? Was he going to die, torn apart by zombies before they cram into the RV to devour his family?

Then his face was splattered with blood, as Sakura stood over him, a glint in her eye. She didn't help him up, instead turning towards the horde, a white-knuckle grip on her katana. She let loose a scream of fury, charging into the horde as Tristan watched, dumbfounded, barely conscious. He saw her decapitate a zombie, draw her bow and bury an arrow into the head of a runner, shoot a group of dead with her pistol, decapitate another, stab another, hacking and slashing. All the while screaming her throat raw.

And Tristan recognized the scene. Sakura decapitated a runner.

And Sharp slashed a zombie's throat with his military grade knife.

Sakura ran her sword through a zombie.

Sharp did the same with his knife.

Sakura grabbed an assault rifle from the RV's scattered weapons cache and mowed down the horde.

Sharp went out of his way to shoot every zombie he saw with his DMR.

Sakura screaming in fury.

Sharp laughing maniacally.

Tristan grit his teeth, staggering to his feet as Sakura went to town on the last zombie, already dead yet she continually beat it's head to mush with a log. He grabbed her arm and pulled her away, wincing as she swung wildly to get back, nailing his knee in the process.

He managed to drag her away, taking her to the side of the RV, kneeling them down on the ground and embracing her to calm her down. "Sakura, Sakura! Calm down, it's over! You got them!" he shouted, desperately trying to stop her screaming.

She slowly stopped struggling, her scream of anger giving way to whimpers, which gave way to crying. He hugged her tight, whispering to let the tears come, to let out all the pain.

She quieted down, burying her face in his jacket. Her tears soaked the outside, her shoulders shaking. He never let her go, giving her the support Sharp didn't have. "I won't let you go down that path." he whispered. "You need to hold on to yourself. Do you hear me?" She nodded into his shoulder. "Elizabeth is here for you. Allie and David are here for you. Diego is here for you. And I'm here for you. Never forget that." he whispered. "Never forget that."

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A week later, they were in Minnesota. Elizabeth had been driving the past three hours, and Tristan had been staring at a map silently, trying to figure out where to go. Sakura was on the couch with Diego, staring blankly at the wall as she scratched behind Diego's ears.

Tristan glanced out the window, pursing his lips. "Get on 75 at the next turn. There's a gas station a mile down."

"We stopped for gas yesterday, we need to keep going." Liz argued, turning onto the highway.

Tristan scowled. "And I said yesterday that it was dried up. We only got a few gallons." Elizabeth didn't respond, continuing to speed down the highway. The gas station was coming up. "Stop. Stop. Sop!" he shouted, grabbing the wheel and turning into the station. Elizabeth hit the brake, scowling at him. Tristan leaned in, scowling at her. "Let's just assume I know what I'm doing, kay? I have more experience out here than all of you combined, so I'm confident that I know when and where to stop. Got it?" he whispered harshly. Liz only glared at him, nodding slowly. "Good." With that he got out of the RV. He gestured for Alice and David to follow him, and they got up from the floor to comply.

Outside, he went up to the gas pump and turned to them. "In the old days, these pumps worked by people swiping a credit card and punching in the amount of gas they want." he explained. He took out his knife. "However, all cards have expired by now. As such, we must resort to more primitive methods of obtaining fuel." He took the knife, and jabbed it into the side of the panel, and with some effort managed to make a hole. "Some people siphon it from cars." He said, grabbing the side of the hole and starting to pull, wires snapping inside. "I… prefer… less unhealthy methods… like…" he grunted, Alice and David watching in awe as he pulled. "…This!" he yanked the panel off, exposing the circuitry underneath and standing proudly next to his damage. "Now, just pull a few wires… put in the number…" the pump seemed to hum to life, a few loud bangs sounding. "Grab that nozzle, would you?" he asked. David ran forward, grabbing the pump as Alice ran to the side of the RV and opened the gas chamber. David stuck the nozzle in as Tristan instructed, and Tristan hit start and gas started pumping into the vehicle. "Alright!" He said. "I'm going to fill up the tank, then fill up some spare tanks with whatever is left. Go see what you guys can scavenge from the station." he instructed. Alice and David nodded, running to grab some bags from the RV and running across the cracked parking lot.

The doors didn't open, the electricity cut off. The kids each grabbed one side and slowly pulled, the doors giving way and opening. They walked inside and looked around the dark store. A cracked donut case was filled with very stale looking pastries, the curdled cream filling spilling out of some of them. Flies buzzed around their heads, curious about the new living flesh, as opposed the corpses they had been slowly eating away at on the floor. Blood splattered the walls, and an old slushie machine had the contents spilling out, a body thrown into the machine. The kids cringed, the smell of rotting flesh and spoiled food hitting them in a nauseating wave. "Let's get this over with quickly." Alice choked out, David nodding in agreement. "I'll look in the snack aisles for food, can you go in the back?" she asked.

"Sure thing. Holler if you need help." David chirped, sprinting past the checkout counter and into the back of the store. Alice smiled at his eagerness, and made her way to the chips, stepping over a headless corpse.

She plucked a bag of Fritos from the shelf, then a bag of Bugles. A bag of cheeotoes, two bags of tortilla chips… she grinned as she saw the bags of beef jerky. She shoveled them into her bag, and walked along the refrigerated doors, looking for drinks. No sense grabbing the soda, but the gatorade looked good…

One door was open with the bottles spilling out. The red gatorade had solidified over the blood, making it hard to distinguish between the two. Suddenly the gatorade wasn't so appealing to Alice. She moved on, and spotted the water bottles. She put as amny of them into her bag as she could, until her sack was full. She hoisted the bag over her shoulder, turning to head back to the front of the store. She gasped, a zombie was standing at the front, staring right at her!

She fumbled for her gun, panicking before she realized it was a woman. She was frail, her bones showing underneath her skin. Her withered and yellowing flesh was visible, all the woman was wearing was a dirty old tank top that may have used to be white, and baggy jeans that were loosely held up by a belt. Her age was hard to tell, her skin was saggy but she wasn't necesarily wrinkled, her eyes were sunken and her cheeks were hollow. She looked more malnourished than anything. Her hair was wild and black, sticking out all over the place, and her lips were twitching and her hands were rubbing each other as she stared intently at Alice. Then she spoke. "Haley?" she croaked, her voice raspy. "I thought you went away with daddy?"

Alice unfroze, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not Haley, I'm Alice. What're you… doing?" The woman had suddenly moved towards her, slowly, as if Alice were a deer and she didn't want to frighten her. "Um… I'm just gonna… leave…" she started, backing away from the approaching woman.

The woman shrieked. "No! Don't leave, Haley baby! Mommy is here!" she rasped, grinning and kneeling to the floor as she spread out her arms, clearly waiting for a hug. Her teeth were yellowed and rotten, this woman clearly hadn't been taking care of herself.

Alice steeled herself. Fear ran through her, but she had learned not to show it. "I'm leaving now." She announced, carefully making her way around the woman. She cried out as the woman suddenly lunged forward, clutching Alice to her chest. "TRISTAN! TRISTAN HELP!" She cried. The woman was hugging her, whispering nonsense. David barreled in, going to tackle the woman but she only cried out and grabbed him, hugging them both. Despite her frailty, she was strong, and Alice and David squirmed to escape.

The squeezing stopped as the woman was ripped off of them, Tristan standing over them seething. He threw the woman against the wall, drawing his sword. "Don't. Touch. My. Kids." he growled, drawing his sword. He stalked over to the gasping woman, reaching down to pick her up again.

Another woman ran into the room, this one in a black college hoodie and jeans, a full face and freckles, a nose piercing and sunny blonde hair. She grabbed Tristan's shoulder, struggling to pull him away as he tried grabbing at the woman. "Stop! Stop! She doesn't know what she's doing!" she cried out.

Tristan shoved her off, but still lowered his blade. "Your friend here attacked my kids." He growled. "Tell me, what exactly _does_ she think she's fucking doing?"

The woman stood up, brushing off the dust from her Harvard hoodie. "I'm sorry, she just… she's kind of living in her own world. Has been since Z-Day, I think." she explained. She extended her hand, offering a shaky smile. "Denny. That's Charlie." She said, pointing at the shaking woman. Tristan kept his glare, and reluctantly shook her hand. "Tristan. Alice, David." he said, gesturing to each of them. "So, she's crazy."

"Basically, yeah." Denny admitted. "Look, from what i can tell, she had four kids. Three daughters, one son. They all died, and she's kind of retreated into some fantasy where they're still alive. I think she may have been divorced, and they got split custody, each got two kids. She keeps talking about how much she misses…"

Charlie stood up, looking up at her attacker. Then her eyes widened. "Gerald?" she whispered, grabbing Tristan's face and looking at him before he slapped her hand away.

He glanced at Denny. "Please tell me her ex wasn't named Gerald." he said. Denny frowned, shrugging. "Perfect." Charlie tried grabbing his hand, and he snatched it away. "Hands off." he growled. He took a step away, turning back to Denny. "You were saying?"

"Honestly, it's all guesswork." Denny admitted. "She calls me Rachel, says I need to bring Roger over for dinner sometime soon. Neighbors maybe, friends… I dunno. I try to look out for her."

Alice cringed as Charlie returned her attention to her and David, kneeling down and staring at them. "Wouldn't that involve keeping her in your sight?" she asked bitterly. Charlie knelt in front of her, looking at her and David's faces and grinning. "Rachel!" She said excitedly, turning to Denny. "Look! It's Haley and Megan! Gerald brought them back!"

Denny offered the woman a tired smile. "Yeah, that's pretty cool." she said. She turned to Tristan. "I really am sorry. She slipped away from me while I was looking in the back for supplies."

Tristan sighed, finally sheathing his sword. "She's not dangerous?" Denny shook her head. "Alright." he frowned, looking back outside. "I didn't see any other cars here, where's yours?"

"Oh, ours broke down two weeks ago. We've been walking." Denny answered. She seemed nervous, not meeting Tristan's gaze and circling her foot on the ground.

Tristan's eyes softened. "Seriously? It's freezing out." He pursed his lips thinking. "Would you… maybe like a ride?"

Alice and David's jaws dropped, Denny's head shooting up in surprise. "R-really? You'd do that?"

Tristan shrugged. "Sure thing. Next good town is a ways away, we can drop you off there."

Denny beamed in excitement, daring to hug Tristan and jumping up and down. "Oh, thank you thank you thank you!" She chattered. "actually, we're a little far from where we stay. We were just scavenging. If you could get us back there, I'd really appreciate it."

Tristan managed a small smile, gesturing outside. "We're in the RV. I just need to finish draining the pump and we'll be good to go."

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Denny took care of introductions inside as Tristan finished up. Upon walking inside, Elizabeth shot a look at him. _Are you serious? Bringing her in here?_ she seemed to say. Tristan smirked and shrugged, getting into the driver's seat and starting up the RV.

As he drove, Charlie rummaged around in the backpack she carried and pulled out a pair of stuffed ragdolls. "Look," she mumbled, showing them to Alice and David. "Lilly and George are so happy to see you again!" she said, grinning.

Alice smiled politely, taking the girl doll. "Nice to see you, Lilly." she said hesitantly. She gasped as Charlie leaned in to hug her again, trying to keep her smile on despite the stench of Charlie's greasy hair. "Erm, mom? Can you let me go please?"

"Oh, of course, of course!" Charlie said, retracting and smiling warmly. She looked at David. "Oh, you two have grown so much! I love your short hair, Megan!"

"Why am I a girl?" David muttered, holding the boy doll. "Why can't I be George?"

"Oh it's natural to be jealous of our brother!" Charlie chirped, sitting cross legged. "It would explain why you cut your hair, you'll look a little silly in your dresses now though."

Tristan stifled a laugh, and David shot him a glare. "Maybe we can get you some after we drop off these two." he teased. "I think there's a walmart up here, we can get you a nice pink one."

David flushed with embarrassment as Alice laughed and Charlie squealed, exclaiming what a wonderful idea it was. Sakura reached out from the couch and ruffled his hair in comfort. "Power through, buddy." she said, offering a smile.

He was still scowling, but he played along as Denny sat with Elizabeth. "You were a teacher? That's so cool! I was studying to be a teacher when I was in college." She said, leaning forward. "What grade did you teach?"

"Oh, I moved back and forth through Elementary school through the years. For the most part I taught fourth grade." Elizabeth answered, happy to have someone who shared her interests around.

Denny nodded, grinning. "I was actually shadowing a teacher on Z-Day." her face fell. "Never even got to teach a lesson." she sighed, then smiled. "I gotta say, I'm glad I found other sane people to talk to."

Sakura barked a laugh. "Like hell you did. Liz is the only one who's even remotely sane around here." she said bitterly. Her face fell. "Used to have more… it was fun…"

Denny frowned in concern as Sakura's eyes welled up, and she turned over face down into the pillow on the couch, done talking. Alice stood up and gave her a quick hug before sitting back down with Charlie.

Rain started softly hitting the windows, the sound calming as the RV fell silent, Charlie muttering and trying to play with the kids. Soon the rain picked up, pelting the vehicle. Tristan cursed, turning into a lot. "We're going to have to stay here tonight." he announced. "There's water everywhere, we might crash."

Elizabeth nodded. "Good idea. We wouldn't want to crash _again_." Tristan flipped her his middle finger, and she gasped in offense as the kids snickered.

Tristan gave up his bed to Denny and Charlie, making a mental note to wash the sheets later. Sakura stayed on the couch, still face down. Tristan knelt next to her, rubbing her shoulder as he gazed at her sleeping form. "Sleep tight, princess." he whispered. Sakura shifted, and she stared at him. "Sorry, i didn't mean to wake you up."

She shook her head, yawning. "You didn't." she lied. She smirked. "Princess?"

He flushed. "Ah… yeah… just a nickname. Kind of an ironic one, cause you're so unlike a Princess." she raised an eyebrow. "I mean, you're badass. And… kill stuff." he finished lamely.

She chuckled, then gave way to a full laugh. Tristan grinned, glad he got her laughing. She was doubled over, tears in her eyes. She calmed down, and stared at him, grinning. "You're a dork, you know that?" she asked.

His grin grew. "The biggest."

She smirked. "Princess. I like it." she pressed a finger on the tip of his fedora and pushed it down over his eyes. "Jones."

He laughed. "Cute." he pushed his hat back up. "So are you feeling better?"

Her face fell, and she sighed. "I was starting to feel better." she sighed.

He frowned. "Sorry. I wish I could say it gets better."

She made a face. "You're not too good at this whole 'cheering people up' thing, are you?"

He shrugged. "I tell it like it is. No point in lying." He offered a small smile. "Though, you're not me. And you've avoided going insane so far."

"Barely." she muttered, turning onto her back. She groaned in frustration, grabbing the pillow and holding it over her face. "God, I'm so tired, but I can't fucking sleep."

He smiled. "Want me to sing you a song?"

"Knowing you it's not a very calm song." she muttered through the pillow.

He mocked offense. "Excuse me, I'll have you know I listen to a wide range of music. Metal and Rock just happen to be my favorites."

She humphed in doubt through the pillow. He smirked, turning around and leaning against the couch. He was silent for a moment, then started singing softly. "Come stop your crying, it'll be alright. Just take my hand, and hold it tight."

Sakura's hand lightly flapped, and he grasped it, offering a comforting squeeze. "I will protect you, from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry." he whispered. "For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you keep you safe and strong."

Alice and David were sleeping on the floor near him, and the both yawned, the music soothing them to sleep. "This bond between us… can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry."

Sakura's grip was loosening, and she removed the pillow from her face, her eyes feeling heavy. She smiled as he began the chorus. "'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my, heart." he sang softly. Sakura let her lids fall, and a soft snore soon escape her lips. Tristan smiled at the sound. "From this day on, now and forever more." he yawned, he was getting tired himself, the hammering of the rain dying out. "You'll be in… my heart…"

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The next morning, Alice awoke to Charlie standing over her, holding a bowl and grinning. "Haley, I made you breakfast sweetie." She said, handing Alice the bowl.

Alice took the bowl, and glanced inside to see a bowl of oatmeal. It even had a strawberry scent, and then Alice saw chunks of the reason why inside. "Wow…" she said, awed. "I… thank you."

"Of course sweetie." Charlie said, patting Alice on the head. David stirred, and she turned to give him his own bowl. Tristan was asleep by the couch, and his eyes opened, as he sniffed the air. "Strawberries?" he muttered sleepily. "I didn't know we had… GAH!" He jumped back as a bowl of oatmeal was shoved in his face. "Er… thanks." He said, raising an eyebrow as Charlie let out a happy cackle and went to get more bowls as everyone woke up. Tristan raised a spoon in suspicion, sniffing it, then licking it. "Huh." Was all he said. He noticed Alice was looking at him expectantly. "It's safe." He assured her. He started eating as Alice wolfed the fruity breakfast down.

Elizabeth cringed. "Not so fast, Allie. Enjoy it."

"She is." Tristan said, popping a strawberry in his mouth. "She wouldn't be eating it so fast if she wasn't."

Denny had gotten her bowl, and plopped down on the floor next to him. "Perk of taking care of her, she hasn't lost her skills in the kitchen." She said happily, eating the oatmeal.

Tristan raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. I'd like to know where she got the strawberries. And the oats." He examined the bowl. "And the bowls. These aren't mi… where the fuck did she get all this?!" he asked. "These spoons aren't mine either!"

Denny shrugged. "She's very resourceful." She said through a mouthful. "We've stayed in this area ever since I found her, and she disappears sometimes and shows up in our hideout with supplies randomly. Now if she could actually speak coherently…"

Tristan narrowed his eyes. "In this area? But we're still an hour away from…" his eyes widened and he looked outside. "Oh fuck no…"

He turned to Charlie and glared at her as she stared at the kids. "My keys. Now."

She looked confused. "Gerald, I was just taking the car out to get groceries…"

He stalked over to her and held hus hands out. "Don't make me search you. Give me my keys." He demanded. Charlie trembled, and reached into her pocket and took out the keys to the RV. He snatched them, turning to Denny. "We've apparently arrived at your destination." He said bitterly.

Denny glared at Charlie, before turning to look apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, she…"

"Doesn't know what she's doing, I know." He said, sighing. "Sorry, I just don't like people touching my stuff." He said. "Are you two good?"

"Yes, thank you for the ride." She said. "I doubt we would have lasted long in that rain."

Tristan smiled. "Glad to help." He turned to see Charlie packing up her backpack. He spotted the ragdolls on the ground, and picked them up. "Don't forget your dolls."

She tensed up, and slowly turned around, fury in her eyes. "They. Are not. Dolls." She hissed.

Tristan's kind smile faltered, and gave way to a look similar to a guard dog after seeing danger. "Whatever." He muttered. "Take your 'kids'."

She snatched them from his hands, then turned to smile sweetly at Alice and David. "Come on kids, we're going home!"

Alice and David exchanged a glance. "We're staying with… Gerald." Alice said slowly.

Charlie's eyes filled with a combination of hurt and anger. "B-but you just came home…"

Denny took Charlie's shoulders and started leading her out of the vehicle. "Come on, Charlie. We're home."

Charlie resisted, trying to walk towards the kids. Denny gritted her teeth, trying to force Charlie out of the door. Elizabeth covered her mouth, exchanging a glance with Sakura as Tristan moved in front of the kids protectively. An animalistic growl escaped Charlie's lips, and Denny finally moved around her and shoved Charlie out the door. "Go, go now." She said, jumping out and making sure Charlie stayed outside. Tristan started up the RV, driving away as Charlie cried out. Alice and David glanced out the window, watching as Charlie tried in vain to reach out and grab the RV, tears in her eyes.

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They drove for a few more hours before stopping by a grocery store to try and get more supplies.

Tristan examined a rack of clothes, picking out a set of child's clothes. He whistled, and Alice came running. He turned to her, looking her up and down. In the five months they had known each other, she had worn the same few sets of clothes. A flower print yellow T-Shirt, a pink lace dress, pink shorts, a blue sleep shirt, a pair of sequin jeans, and a green long shirt with birds on it. He handed her the pile he had selected. "Go into that dressing room and try these on." He ordered.

She took the pile obediently, walking inside. Tristan waited outside, Sakura coming over with a black shirt. She held it up, it had a silver skull embroidered on the breasts. "What do you think? I's fuzzy, and it'll be warmer than my crop top."

Tristan was staring at the shirt on top of her, and didn't answer. She snapped her fingers, and his eyes shot up. "Sorry! Yeah, yeah, it's good. I like it."

She smiled, starting for the dressing room. Then Alice walked out, and Tristan's eyes lit up and he grinned. "Alice, you look like a little badass!"

She twirled around, showing off her new look. Tristan had found a pair of black jeans like his own for her, along with a white T-Shirt with a pink skull on the front and a black zip up hoodie to go with the clothes. On her feet were black hiking boots. Along with everything, he got her a pair of black gloves with grips on them. "I _feel_ like a badass!" She said excitedly.

Tristan grinned as Sakura clapped, impressed. "Let's see people fuck with you now." He said excitedly, then grunted as Elizabeth walked up, punching his shoulder in annoyance. "Language." She hissed, before looking Alice up and down. "Very… um…"

"Badass!" She finished, to Elizabeth's chagrin. Tristan laughed, ignoring the glare from Elizabeth. David walked over with his own new look, a pair of blue jeans and blue hoodie with a skater on the front. "I like blue." He said.

Liz smiled. "Well, at least you don't look like a biker." She muttered, drawing a glare from Sakura.

"I think you both look awesome." She said, grinning before walking into the dressing room. When she emerged she drew the leather jacket Tristan had gotten her around the shirt, hugging her arms. "Mmmm." She purred. "So warm…"

Alice looked up to see Tristan staring at Sakura again as she admired herself in the mirror. She giggled, kicking his leg playfully. He stopped staring, grinning down at her. He looked over at the food section. "I'm going to go get some more food for us. Allie, can you and David go get some soap and toothpaste?"

She nodded, taking David's arm and dragging him away from the mirror where he was deciding if he liked himself better with the hood up or down. Alice was feeling fresh and happy in her new clothes, and skipped down the aisle, David joining her. They found the aisle they needed, and turned down it to see a figure in shadow. It hit them over the head, and David fell unconscious, Alice barely staying conscious as she fell to the floor. A pair of strong arms grabbed her and David, and she fought, kicking out and grabbing for her knife. She swiped, and a hiss escaped the figure as it let her go, dragging David away. Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't stand up straight. "Tris… tan…" she mumbled. She heard shouting, and a gunshot sounded. She shook her head, gritting her teeth and running towards the sounds.

Tristan was barreling after a car outside, the RV's tires were slashed. "Fuck, fuck, FUCK!" He shouted, throwing a rock after the car and spewing curses. Alice staggered outside, and started to fall, the concrete approaching.

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Review!


	35. Deadly Memories

**This is the final chapter following Tristan and Sakura's group. Next will be John and Ella's group.**

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Alice came to in the RV, blinking her eyes as Sakura rubbed her shoulder. "Hey, big girl." She greeted. "You have a nasty bump on your head."

Alice groaned in response, reaching up to feel the mark beneath her glove. Elizabeth was pacing back and forth nervously, and she glanced out the window to see Tristan hurriedly changing the tires to the RV. She could hear from inside the curses he was spitting out in rapid succession. He finished, tossing the tire iron away and running back inside and jumping into the driver's seat. The engine revved, and they sped off down the road, Tristan ignoring the bumping and jostling from the high speed and barreling back the way they came.

Alice looked at Sakura. "Someone… took David…"

"We know. It was that woman, Charlie. I recognized her in the car she was in." Sakura said darkly. She caught Alice's worried expression and forced a smile. "We'll get him back, don't worry."

Elizabeth staggered when they hit a pothole, and she took a deep, angry breath. Sakura shot her a look. _Not now._

Elizabeth ignored her, walking up to the couch. "This is your fault you know." She said.

Tristan slammed on the brakes, and Sakura groaned. "Liz…"

"Sakura, take the wheel." Tristan ordered. Sakura paled, worried, but complied. She swapped seats with Tristan, and started driving as he stood in front of Elizabeth. "And how… do you figure that?" He whispered, anger etched in every breath.

She stood firm under his glare. "Don't try to intimidate me. You may have good intentions but half of the things that have happened to these kids wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you. If you hadn't let that psychotic woman on here, she wouldn't have stalked us and kidnapped David!"

Tristan gritted his teeth. "I've been keeping them alive." He growled. "You have no right…"

"I have every right!" She argued, daring to step closer to him. "It's not just this, Tristan. You have no business taking these children under your wing. You're trying to turn them into… into hardened, cold people like you!"

His eyes flared. "I don't want them to be anything like me! I want them to _survive._ And that's exactly what I've been doing."

"You're a terrible influence! You're vulgar, violent, and criminally insane!" Elizabeth snarled, her fists trembling. "You've been teaching them how to fire guns, letting them spew profanity, and go off doing dangerous activities that threaten their lives!"

"Literally _everything_ we do out here is life threatening!" Tristan shouted back, raising his hands in emphasis. "You look for food, you're in danger. You take time to set up a tent, you're in danger. You sit down, you're in danger. You talk to new people, you're in danger. You fucking sleep and you're still in danger! What they need to learn is how to deal with all that danger so they don't end up as zombies! They're alive, healthy, and good people. That's all that matters!"

"You're just making excuses to yourself. They're alive, but at what cost? How soon before you have them _kill_ someone? They're ten! They shouldn't be running around with guns and knives strapped to their legs, helping in your insane mission to kill anyone you think don't deserve to live anymore! You know as well as I do that these children have changed, and not for the better! And you're not doing anything to keep them safe! David has been kidnapped by a sociopath and it's because you didn't look for the danger that was right under your damned nose!" She screamed, jabbing a finger into his chest.

She jumped when he punched the wall behind her. "You don't think I know that?" he whispered, his eyes wide and hard. "You don't think that it's eating me away inside that if he dies it's my fault? I know I fucked up. I went against my better judgment, and because of that David is tied up somewhere, possibly dead, or worse! And that's on me! I don't need you…" he poked her chest, hard. "…telling me that!"

She kept her scowl despite the fact that he had backed her into the wall. "Your guilt doesn't change your actions. I've had doubts about you ever since I saw you go to town those people back at Jessie's! And against _my_ better judgment, I stayed quiet. But no more. You need a reality check! You're not fit to be a parent, much less some kind of screwed up foster dad! In the Old World, people like you went to prison for this kind of neglect! I personally helped kids escape un-nurturing homes, taking them away from these kinds of conditions!"

His jaw dropped. "I… _I_ need a reality check?" he barked out a laugh. "Look around you! You're the one who needs a reality check! Newsflash, there's a fucking ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE going on! The Old World doesn't _exist_ anymore! That's why it's called the _Old_ World! Society as we knew it then is gone! Monsters roam the Earth, eating people, and now there's no laws keeping the evil from doing as they please. You know what happens to people who go through life the way you think they should?" he punched the wall again. "They're dead! Eaten, shot, blown up, bitten! You're in a different world now. These 'un-nurturing conditions' are everywhere! The world has changed Elizabeth." He leaned in until their noses were almost touching. Fear was starting to show in her eyes. "But you're so delusional you refuse to admit it." He hissed. He finally leaned away, Elizabeth letting out the breath she had been holding. "I'm not going to baby them. The real world is harsh. Cold. Evil. Perilous. And I refuse to let them die because some fuckwit decides they should be coddled and hidden from the very real threats surrounding them."

Sakura listened to the argument in silence, keeping an eye on the road but still making sure it didn't get too out of hand. She cringed on Tristan's last sentence, but didn't speak up. Truth be told, she agreed with Tristan. On most of his points. But she had to admit he was being unnecessarily harsh. "Tristan…" she said carefully. "…we need to stay together. We won't do David any good by arguing."

"Exactly." Tristan responded, keeping his glare on Elizabeth, who was trying to match his intensity with her own scowl. "All that matters right now is saving David." He turned away, heading back to the driver's couch. Liz looked like she was about to say something else, and he turned to glare at her again. "Sit down and shut up. We're getting close. Unless you'd like to waste more time bickering."

She didn't respond, retreating to the couch. Tristan turned away to watch the road, and only then did Elizabeth bury her face in her hands, letting tears fall as she silently sobbed. She felt a small body curl up next to her, and she peeked out between her fingers to see Alice looking at her in worry. "We're all stressed over this." She said, taking Elizabeth's hand and squeezing it. "I know he didn't mean any of that, and I know you didn't mean any of what you said."

Elizabeth smiled at her, not having the heart to confess that she had meant every single word she had said. Even without Charlie, she had very serious doubts about that lunatic's abilities in taking care of children. "You're wise beyond your years." Was all she said, ruffling Alice's hair. Alice smiled, getting off the couch to go stand next to Tristan, silence taking over the space as the trees and road flew by the windows, rain slowly starting to patter against the glass once again.

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David thought he was awake, but he couldn't be sure. He couldn't move, and everything was pitch black. He had no idea if his eyes were open or closed.

His question was answered when light flooded his vision, blinding him as he was lifted out of a car trunk. A familiar stench overcame his nostrils, and he looked up to see Charlie carrying him down a cobblestone path. They seemed to be in the middle of the woods, a small ranch house in the middle of the clearing. A yellowed picket fence surrounded the house, and strawberry bushes lined the house's sides. _This must be her secret supply house._ He thought to himself. He tried moving, and felt rough rope scrape against his wrists, he looked down t his sneakers to see more rope binding them together.

His heart was pounding, he was certain Charlie could hear the thumping. He squirmed in her arms, and to his disgust she planted a wet kiss against his forehead. "Don't worry, Megan baby, we're home." She said, her voice cracking as that horrid yellow grin showed on her face again.

He scowled. "I'm not Megan! My name is David, and I've never met you before! My mom died!" he shouted. She ignored him, rocking his body in her freakishly strong arms. He craned his neck. "Help! Someone help! I'm being kidnapped! Anybody!"

"Oh Meggy, you and your games!" Charlie chuckled. They reached the porch, it was rotting away, and David could see the termites crawling across the wood. The pink paint of the house was peeling, and she set him down on a rickety rocking chair on the porch as she fished in her backpack for keys. She took out the tattered rag dolls from before, setting them next to him as gently as she had handled him. "Lilly, George, you two look after your sister." She said in a motherly tone, even playfully shaking her finger as she returned to scrounging through the bag. "Oh, shoot. Mommy left her keys in the car. I'll be right back, darlings." She said sweetly, scampering back to the car. David saw an opportunity. He rocked the chair back and forth until he slid off, landing on his feet. He doubled over, untying his feet. Once the ropes were loose, he squatted down, looking through the bushes. Charlie was rummaging around the seat, looking for her key ring. He grinned. "Hasta la vista, baby." He muttered, copying the Terminator. He ran out of the bushes, heading for the woods. The edge was close. A hundred feet, fifty, twenty, ten, five, almost there…

He hadn't even heard her running. Charlie grabbed the hood as he leapt for the bushes, yanking him back into the grass. "NO!" He shouted. Stupid, stupid! That stupid hood!

Charlie was scowling down at him, and then slapped him across the cheek. "What did I tell you about playing in the woods, Megan?!" she screeched. "I told you, it's too dangerous in there!"

"My name's not Megan!" David shouted, scowling. "And anywhere would be better than here!"

Her eyes flared with rage. "That's it! Get in the house! When your father gets home, he'll teach you to talk to your mother like that!"

He glanced at the tree line as she dragged him by the hood back to the house. If only. All he wanted was for his father to burst out of those trees, katana waving and singing some rock song as he killed Charlie.

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They pulled into the barren lot. The building they had dropped the girls off at was just a few yards away. An abandoned hotel, the windows boarded, the bricks chipped and missing in some places. A large hole sat near the roof, and blood caked the sidewalk.

The RV nearly smashed into the wall as it braked, and Tristan threw open the door and ran outside, the others following.

Tristan ran up to the door, not bothering to call out or knock. He turned on his heel, and kicked the door down, the hinges snapping out of the old wood. He stalked inside, glaring around the dark lobby. "Charlie! Denny! Get your asses out here!" He shouted.

They listened, but no answer. Tristan roared in frustration, knocking a luggage cart onto its side. "I said get out here! Now!"

Diego's ears perked up, and he turned to look outside. He whined, and Sakura noticed. "Tristan, be quiet for a second."

He ran over, listening with the others. Then, faintly, they heard a rasping voice. "…here… over… here… guys…"

They ran back outside, and Alice gasped, pointing at the bushes. Denny was laying in them, blood soaking her Harvard hoodie. Blood ran from her mouth, and they could see the gash in her side. Tristan's fury ebbed away as he ran to her, kneeling down to assess the damage. "Elizabeth, go get the first aid kit out of the back." He ordered. "Alice, get some clean water. Sakura, help me get her into the lobby."

Everyone flew into action, Alice and Liz running to the RV as Sakura took both of Denny's arms and helped Tristan carry her into the lobby, switching on a light as they did. They found a decent couch and lay her down, Alice running in with the water. Tristan took the water, and poured some in his hand. He placed his fist over the wound, letting the water dribble down, washing away the blood. Pus joined with blood, and they could see the wound clearly now. It was deep in her lower left side, left by a clean cut knife. A sloppy stitching job had been done, and they saw that Denny had taken the threads from the cut in her hoodie and a hair pin snapped in half to do it. About three threads held it halfway closed, loosely, but it had helped slow the blood flow. Tristan waved his hand over her eyes, snapping to keep her awake. "Stay with us, you pass out and you'll go into shock." He offered an encouraging smile. "Your stitching could use some work, but you closed the wound about halfway. All things considered, you did good."

Denny offered a weak smile, and Elizabeth walked in with the first-aid, kneeling to talk to Denny to keep her awake. Tristan took out a black bottle, and unscrewing the lid motion for Sakura to hold the bleeding woman down. She bent over Denny's body and placed her hands firmly over her arms, and Tristan took the opportunity to pour the liquid over the wound. Denny screeched in pain, writhing as tears stung her eyes. "Easy, Denny." Sakura cooed. "Worst part's over."

"Not quite." Tristan commented, pulling out the stitching needle. "Fun's just getting started." That earned a glare from Sakura. "What?"

She rolled her eyes, then turned her attention back to the whimpering Denny. "Don't worry, he's done this plenty of times before. Just ride it out."

Denny cringed as Tristan pinched the sides of the wound, poking the needle into her side. "Ready?" he asked. She hesitated, then nodded. That was quickly followed by a moan as Tristan thrust the needle through the skin, pulling it out the other side and puncturing the other side of the wound.

She hissed as he pulled the thread through, pulling the first stitch shut. "Is it over?" she whined.

"N…" Sakura glared at him again. "Er, almost. Just… six more to go." She cried then, the pain unbearable. "Stick with it." He encouraged, preparing to go through again. "Power through."

The hotel was filled with screams of agony for three long minutes. Finally, Tristan pulled the wound closed and hiked her shirt up to wrap a bandage around her. She was breathing heavy, but alive. Elizabeth squeezed her hand in comfort, smiling down at her. "You were very brave." She encouraged.

Tristan leaned against the wall, watching. He was tapping his foot, then sighed as Sakura tried getting Denny to sit up. He walked over, standing over her. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened, and I know you're feeling weak, but you need to talk. We need to know what happened."

She nodded, still trying to breathe properly. "Charlie disappeared about an hour after you left. I thought she had just gone to her stash again, but then almost two hours ago she showed up, and David was with her. I freaked out, yelled at her." She took a shuddering breath, coughing. "She… she just wouldn't understand… what she did was wrong…" Another cough. "I tried… I tried to take him away from her. He was tied up, in the backseat… she just, lost it. She flew into a frenzy, trying to scratch me, clawing my eyes out." The bloody marks around her eyes showed that she was telling the truth. "Then she pulled a knife. I was paralyzed, I couldn't move. She stabbed me, and left me in the bushes. She was shouting about how her family would be whole again, or some bullshit." She coughed again, this time blood coming up. Tristan knelt down, wiping the blood from her chin. "Last thing I saw before she drove off… David was trying to escape, squirming around like a worm on crack. She threw him in the trunk, and he started screaming." Her eyes were full of guilt, and tears started trailing down her cheeks. "That poor kid… I'm sorry." She turned to Tristan, crying. "I'm so, so sorry! I-I tried to stop her… t-to save him…"

Tristan smiled, holding a hand up. "I know. And I can't thank you enough. You were brave, and you did everything you." He sighed, looking back outside. "You have no idea where her secret place is?"

She shook her head. "Sometimes I saw her coming out of the woods, same spot. There's a trail… just big enough for a small car, like she had…"

Tristan squeezed her hand. "Thank you, that's all I need." He stood up, moving for the exit. "Sakura, come with me. Alice, you stay here and protect Liz and Denny."

Alice shook her head. "No way, I'm coming with you." She argued. "I want to save David."

Tristan halted by the exit, turning to face Alice as she walked over to join them. "Allie…"

She walked past him, heading for the RV. "I'm helping save him, he's my friend."

To everyone's surprise, he grabbed her shoulder and dragged her struggling back into the hotel. He swung her around to face him, making eye contact. "Alice, listen to me. This woman is obsessed. And there is no telling what lengths she'll go to get to you. I want you as far away from her as possible."

"But…" she argued.

"No buts." He said sternly. "You're staying here and protecting Liz and Denny. End of story."

She looked like she wanted to argue, her brow furrowing in frustration. But she obliged his order, going back to sit on the couch with a still pale Denny. She was going to survive, but her skin was so white her freckles stood out like blood drops on a pillow case, her blonde hair falling over her face in loose strands. Elizabeth was finding cloth and drapes to use as blankets for her, wrapping her up.

Tristan jerked his head, motioning that they had to go. The trio walked outside, Diego keeping his nose to the ground to find the path. Sakura and Tristan walked side by side as he tracked Charlie's scent, and as they walked she could feel the intensity and wild emotions emanating from Tristan. His face was set in a hard scowl, his shoulders stiff and his whole body tense. She reached out and clutched his hand. "We'll save him. Don't worry." She said, smiling.

He squeezed back, smiling and casting a sideways glance at her. "I hope to God you're right." He said. They walked hand in hand, until Diego barked and Tristan dropped her hand, and the two of them ran after the dog as he took off down a narrow path, too small for the RV. Tristan whistled, and Diego came running back. Tristan jabbed a thumb back at the hotel. "Good work buddy. We'll take it from here. Go make sure Alice doesn't get any ideas." He ordered. Diego barked, running off back to the hotel. Tristan motioned for Sakura to follow him, and he ran towards a motorcycle with a zombie underneath it. Sakura put an arrow between its eyes as Tristan righted the cycle, turning the ignition. It roared to life, and he flashed her a grin. "Faster than an RV anyway."

She smirked, getting on behind him and wrapping her arms around his chest. "Let's go ice a bitch."

He grinned a shark toothed grin as he revved the cycle, speeding for the woods. "Nothing would make me happier."

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David struggled against his restraints. What kind of mother ties her daughter to a chair, he'd never guess. Charlie had disappeared somewhere, leaving him alone in what should have been a homey kitchen with those creepy dolls staring at him from the other side of the table. But the only emotion this place drew from him was fear.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Tristan had showed them how to tie knots, and how to escape them as well. He felt the knot behind him tying his hands together, and recognized the knot. He started moving his wrists, picking at the right places. Before long, he was free. Now the feet. Now that he could see what he was doing, it was even quicker before he was standing up. He ran for the door, and to his frustration saw it was dead bolted. He tried reaching up, the bolt was out of his reach. He scowled, then remembered he just got out of a dining room. He ran back to grab a chair, then jumped when he saw a photo of a woman with Alice. No…

It wasn't Alice. It was another red haired girl, about her age. And the woman was Charlie. Before Z-Day. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and her eyes were bright and shining, a non-creepy smile on her face as she hugged her daughter. There were two other girls, one tall and black haired, one a toddler with red hair too. And a boy, a little older than he was. Black haired, and unlike his sisters was olive skinned. A man was kneeling down, grinning as well. Red hair, olive skin, bright brown eyes, unshaven. Wearing a farmer's clothes. David's terror was replaced with sympathy. Was this the family she lost? Haley, Lilly, Megan, and George? And a handsome husband, Gerald?

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Charlie knelt down, gazing fondly at the photo. "You were only two when this photo was taken." She said, pointing at the toddler. She sighed. And then a year later, your father ran off with that bi… he married your step mommy." She said bitterly. She smiled, ruffling his hair. "But now, he's brought you back, and we can be happy together."

David cleared his throat. "Well, I'm very excited." He said. "But…"

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, cutting him off. She ran into the other room, and to David's horror emerged with a blood stained purple dress. "I found your favorite dress!"

David backed into a wall, the fear returning in full swing. "I, uh…"

"Oh, and until your hair grows back, I got you this!" She exclaimed. She drew a long red wig, and jammed it over David's head. He struggled to get free, Charlie taking his shirt off and forcing him into the dress. She let him go then, and he tripped on the lace, face planting on the floor. He groaned, looking up at the hallway mirror and gasping. He went to yank of the wig, when Charlie spun him around, frowning. "I never see you smile anymore." She said sadly. "Why are you so sad? Can't you smile for mommy?"

He escaped her grip, making his way to the dead bolted door and yanking on the handle. "Get away from me! Get away!" he cried. Charlie pulled him away, and he started kicking and punching. "GET AWAY! GET AWAY! PLEASE! CHARLIE!" He screamed.

Charlie ignored him, dragging him to the bathroom. "I know just how to make you happy again." She said dreamily. She dragged him into the bathroom, his screams echoing throughout the house.

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Alice paced the hotel lobby. She hated waiting. Whenever the group was heading into a fight, she always had to be the one to wait. Why would Tristan teach her how to fight if she wasn't allowed to put those skills to the test?

She glanced at Diego, seeing him stare longingly at the door. Waiting for his friend to return. She walked over, scratching behind his ear. "You hate waiting too, huh?" she asked. Diego whined in response. She smiled. "We could go after him. I mean, after all, we have no idea what Charlie is capable of."

Diego growled in objection. She raised her hands in mock surrender. "Alright. I'm sure he's fine. Of course, he normally has you to look out for him and all."

Diego turned and barked at her. She sighed in defeat, looking back at Liz and Denny. Color was returning to Denny's cheeks, and Elizabeth was feeding her soup she had warmed up.

She glanced back at Diego, who had gone back to staring at the door. Now was her chance, all three were distracted. She casually made her way to one of the hallways branching off of the lobby, and once she had rounded the corner, she took off down the hall. She reached a boarded up door, and she copied Tristan's movements, turning on her heel and kicking it out. The sound of wood snapping was followed by a bark, and Alice dove out of the door, running for a car. She ran inside, locking the doors as Diego slammed into the side, scratching at the window and growling. She turned the ignition, sighing in relief when the car roared to life. She adjusted the seat, barely able to look over the steering wheel. She used her tippy toes to push down on the gas, and the car shot forward, and she struggled to aim the car for the same path she had watched Tristan and Sakura drive down. She shot through the woods, Diego falling behind as he tried in vain to chase down the car. Alice whooped in triumph, navigating through the woods.

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Sakura kept her chin digging into the nook of Tristan's neck as he sped down the path, following the now worn in tracks of Charlie's car. She had driven a motorcycle before, she and Arianna had taken joyrides plenty of times before. But never at the speed Tristan was going. It was exhilarating, but she couldn't help the fear of one wrong turn sending them crashing into a fireball. She had an iron clad grip around his waist, the wind sending her short red and gold hair into a frenzy.

Tristan rounded a corner, and a ranch house came into their view. Sakura recognized the blue car out front, and pointed at it. She felt Tristan tense up, gunning it for the house. He swiveled them around, kicking up dirt as they skidded to a halt. The two of them leapt off, Sakura drawing her bow as Tristan drew his sword. They cautiously made their way to the front door, Tristan trying the handle. It turned, unlocked, but the door still wouldn't open. "Dead bolt." He muttered, eyes travelling up the side of the door. He experimentally knocked on the door. "Old, soft, should come out easily." He commented. He waved his hand, and Sakura took a step back, and he kicked the door open. The dead bolt flew from its socket, crashing into a lamp and knocking it to the ground. Sakura ran inside after him, notching an arrow and aiming around the dark dining room. She spotted a photo on the ground, a framed picture of a younger looking Charlie with four children and a man. Then Tristan stepped on it, not noticing the glass crunching under him as he searched the room. He swatted a spider web out of his way, looking down a hallway lined with baby pictures. "This must be her old house." He commented.

Sakura nodded in agreement, putting her arrow back in its quiver. "But nobody's home. Are you sure she's here?"

"She wasn't at the hotel, and I'm positive this is where she disappears to. She has to be." He answered, walking down the hall. He opened a door to see three small beds with a crib in the corner. Toys littered the floor, a train set spanning the rooms with dolls and action figures in the middle, an overflowing toy chest in the back. Sakura picked up a Nerf gun, half the foam darts missing. On one of the beds, a large stuffed tiger lay on a pillow. Sadness overcame her. "Let's find David and get the hell out of here, this place is depressing as Hell."

"Agreed." He said, turning to leave in time to see a pipe connect with Sakura's head. He reached out to catch her before she hit the ground, when the pipe came down on his own head, instantly blacking out.

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Alice sped through the woods, miraculously never crashing despite flooring the gas and making sharp turns. She made excellent time, and she had only been an hour behind Tristan and Sakura. She made another turn, and saw the top of a roof over the dashboard. She hit the brakes, tires squealing as she slowed to a stop. She threw the door open, running towards the house. It seemed calm, in the middle of a field, strawberry bushes surrounding it. But she knew better. She could feel that this was the place, Tristan and Sakura's cycle entering her view. The door had been kicked open, and she stealthily made her way around the porch to the side of the house, peeking inside a window.

Tristan and Sakura were tied to chairs, and Charlie was inside, humming as she cooked something. Tristan was the first to come to, groaning as he struggled to clear his vision.

Charlie heard him, and came over, grinning. "Good evening honey." She cooed. "How was work?"

He glared at her. "Where's David?" he growled.

Confusion crossed her face. "Sweetie, who's David?"

He gritted his teeth. "Megan." He hissed.

"Oh! Megan is in her room, playing with George and Lilly. I can't seem to find Haley though, I'm getting worried about her." She said, pursing her lips. "That reminds me, I need you to have a little talk with Megan. She talked back to me earlier while you were at work, and we can't have that."

Tristan worked to control his rage. Normally he'd love to simply tear her limb from limb, but he couldn't risk provoking her. "Why don't you bring her out? We can talk right now."

"Oh, I would, but I wanted to take this time to have a talk of our own." She responded, walking back into the kitchen. "Once your 'friend' wakes up." She said bitterly.

On cue, Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She groaned, the pain in her head pounding like a snare drum. "Where…"

"So!" Charlie announced, walking into the room carrying a platter with bowls of salad on it. "You must be _Sasha_. My dear husband's _friend_." She hissed, turning to glare at her. "You're the one who convinced my husband to elope! You seduced him!"

Sakura narrowed her eyes in confusion, then paled. "Oh dear god, she thinks you're her husband?"

"Apparently an Ex." He muttered. "Charlie, this is getting old. Why don't you untie us, so we can have a _proper_ talk." He growled, fury in his eyes.

Charlie ignored him, walking around the table to stand next to him. "Well guess what hussy! I married him, and he's mine!" She grabbed Tristan's cheeks, and before he could stop her she planted a kiss on his mouth.

He started frantically squirming, and head-butted her, sending her sprawling as he turned to his other side to vomit as Sakura looked on in disgust and horror. "Jesus Christ…" he spluttered, coughing. "When the fuck did you last brush your teeth?!"

Charlie stood up, blood flowing from her nose, yet she didn't seem to notice. In fact, she was smiling that horrid yellow grin again. "I missed you so much." She sighed. A beep sounded from the kitchen, and she jumped, running to take something out of the oven. After a minute, she returned with a platter of meat. "Kids!" she called, "Dinner!"

She left the room, Tristan still coughing and retching, fury coursing through Sakura's veins. She returned, setting the rag dolls down next to Tristan and carrying something purple. She set it down in the chair at the head of the table, then reached up and turned on the light.

Sakura screamed, Tristan's jaw dropping in horror. David sat at the table, a blood stained purple stress covering him and a red wig on his head. But what horrified them was his face. Charlie had taken a knife to his lips, carving a smile from nightmares into his face. The corners of his mouth had been cut into a grin, blood forming a ghastly smile. His eyes were held open, his once bright eyes now drained of life. His cheeks were white, make up powdered on thick.

Alice stared in traumatized horror at her friend through the window, tears falling from her eyes. "David… no…" she cried.

Sakura started violently shaking. "You BITCH!" She screamed. "How could you do this?!"

Charlie scowled. " _You're_ the bitch! You've been fucking my husband!" she screamed back.

"I'm not your husband." Tristan growled, his eyes darkened and hard. He stood up, his bindings falling to the floor, his wrists bloody from escaping. "I'm your death."

Charlie turned in time for Tristan's fist to connect to her nose. She crumpled to the floor, looking up in fear as Tristan stared down at her, his face morphed into a terrifying scowl of fury and rage. He picked her up by the collar of her tank top, and threw her down the hallway. He stalked after her as she scrambled along the floor, into the children's room. She grabbed a baseball bat, George written across it in sharpie, and swung around to have Tristan's fist fly out and grab the handle, twisting and yanking it from her grip. She crawled backwards as he threw the bat behind him, shattering a picture frame in the hall. She started throwing toys at him, and he swatted each one away, grabbing a dart she threw and throwing it back, the needle tearing a cut in her arm. She hissed, and suddenly flew into a frenzy. She leapt up, attacking Tristan like a savage animal, clawing at him with her nails and biting down on the hard leather of his jacket. He cried out as she jabbed his eye, and tried grabbing her arms to halt the attack. She only started kicking, and after a minute of wrestling she nailed him in the crotch with her heel. His eyes widened and dilated, a low groan escaping him as he went to his knees, holding his area as she picked up the bat.

Sakura, back in the kitchen was desperately trying to get free. She heard footsteps, and looked up in shock to see Alice run by the table and down the hall. "Alice? Alice! Alice!" she cursed, working even more frantically to get free.

Charlie raised the bat over Tristan's head, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry baby, but I won't let you destroy our family!" she screeched, bringing the weapon down. Before it connected with his head, however, Alice tackled Charlie, knocking the bat away and getting up to kick Charlie. The mad woman seemed impervious to her attack, however, standing back up to swat Alice to the floor. She screeched, her mind completely gone as she went to claw at Alice as she lay on the floor. She turned in time so that her nails scraped across the jacket Tristan got her, scrambling to her feet as Charlie went for the bat again. Tristan recovered, grabbing her belt and pulling her into a headlock, cutting off her air supply. Charlie scratched at his arms, Alice watching in triumph as Tristan squeezed. She threw her head back, connecting with his nose. His grip loosened as a hand flew to his nose to stop the blood, and she kicked out at him. Alice shoved her back to the ground, and Tristan got on top of Charlie and started relentlessly beating her face. His fists rained down in a flurry, blood spurting and flying as he screamed in rage as he beat her.

Charlie didn't stop fighting, she managed to grip one of his fists in her own and twisted. Tristan hissed as she twisted his arm, and Alice punched Charlie, who got to her feet and ran out into the hall. Tristan got back to his feet and pursued her, Alice following. Charlie ran into the dining room, where Sakura greeted her with a solid punch to the gut, followed by another to the jaw. She smirked as Charlie went down, and stepped back as Tristan ran in. Charlie started to get up again, and Tristan grabbed the sides of the bookshelf covered with picture frames, grunting as he pulled. Charlie screamed as the heavy piece of furniture fell on top of her, pictures shattering against the ground. Her vision blurred, but she was conscious enough to see all her precious family memories, out of their protective glass, over the floor for her intruders to trod upon. Tears started flowing from her eyes, and she reached out from where she was pinned to start clutching the photos, glass cutting her hands as her fingers scrabbled to save as many pictures as possible. "No, no no no no no no…" she cried, sobbing as Tristan walked around the shelf, stepping on a photo she was reaching for and grabbing her hair.

"You disgust me." He growled, slamming her head into the floor and bringing it up again. "And you're going to pay for what you did to David."

Sakura picked up the photos Charlie had dropped as Tristan slammed her head into the floor again, her sobs piercing her heart. Family picnic, summer camp, first day of school, Christmas time… a happy family, broken by the apocalypse. "Tristan…" she said softly. "Stop."

He turned in outrage to her. " _WHAT?!_ "

She turned the photos in her hand so he could see. "Look at her." She said, and Tristan turned to look at the sobbing mess that was named Charlie, burying her face in her hands as her world fell to pieces. "She's suffered so much… it feels wrong to prolong her suffering."

Conflict was evident in his eyes. "But… look what she did to David…" he said, looking at the corpse still seated at the table, dressed like a doll.

Alice spoke up. "Tristan, she's lost everything. Her children, her husband, and now her own home. She's broken." She looked at him sadly. "You were broken too, once. You told us how horrible you felt when you lost everyone." Alice walked over, looking down in pity at Charlie. "Sakura's right. I don't think David would want us to torture her anymore."

He stared hard at her, then turned to stare at Charlie. "Sometimes I feel like I still am. Broken." He admitted. He sighed in frustration, reluctantly picking up the heavy bookshelf and lifting it off of the sobbing woman. She stayed on the floor, laying on the broken glass. Outside they heard the squeal of tires, and they glanced outside to see the RV crash through the trees, Diego barking from inside. "Ran away huh?" he asked, turning back to a blushing Alice.

"Well, if I hadn't, you could be dead now, so…" she said softly.

Tristan grinned. "You're a brave little girl, Allie." Diego ran inside, his paws scrabbling on the floor as he barked angrily at Alice. "Easy, buddy. It's alrigh…"

Diego barked again, this time in panic. Sakura cried out, Charlie had a shard of glass clutched in her fist, blood running down her arm as it dug in her skin. And Sakura was on the ground, a gash in her leg. Charlie tackled Tristan, swiping Diego's muzzle with the glass, drawing a deep gash in it as he leapt at her. He careened into the table leg, cracking it. Charlie put an arm against Tristan's throat, screeching in madness as he desperately gripping her other arm, which slowly had the shard descending towards his eye. He squinted his eyes, gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep the glass away. Charlie was grinning in madness, cackling now as Alice screamed at her to stop.

All sound cut out, a gunshot ringing in their ears. Charlie dropped the glass, falling to the side as Tristan pushed her away, panting. He turned to see Sakura's gun raised, but she looked as surprised at him, not having pulled the trigger yet.

Both of them turned to stare at Alice, her pistol trained on Charlie's body, the barrel smoking as she trembled, crying. Tristan's eyes fell. "Oh, Allie…"

Alice stared in horror down at her hands. The gun slipped from her fingers, and she went to her knees. She'd never killed anything besides a few zombies, and now a woman lay dead in front of her, the killing blow dealt by her. She had never really considered that she would ever kill someone, though now she knew that it was inevitable. But she never imagined it would be a poor broken woman who only wanted her family back. A murderer, a rapist, or even a bandit, but never this. The tears came faster, and she sobbed. She hadn't noticed that Tristan had come over, embracing her. She cried into his shoulder as he wordlessly rubbed her back, letting her cry. Elizabeth stood in the doorway, a look of horror as she took in the scene before her. Sakura bleeding on the floor, a house destroyed, David dead in a chair dressed up like a little girl, and Charlie laying in a bed of glass surrounded by pictures, Alice crying into Tristan's shoulder, having drawn her first blood.

Diego whined, nuzzling Alice and licking the tears from her cheek. Tristan slid an arm under her and picked her up, taking her over to Elizabeth. "Liz." He said softly. "Can you take her back into the RV? Put her to bed? I need to… I need to take care of David." He asked, voice barely above a whisper. Elizabeth nodded, taking Alice from his arms and carrying her to the RV. Sakura limped past him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Need some help?" she asked.

He shook his head. "No, I… I need some time alone with him." He answered. Sakura nodded in understanding, making her own way back to the RV, Diego going with her.

Tristan went into the kitchen, grabbing a towel and soaking it in water from the tap. He took the wet rag to the table, ripping off the wig and cutting off the dress with his knife. David was shirtless underneath, and Tristan took a blanket from the couch and wrapped him in it. He looked like the Joker now, hair wild, purple blanket around him, and worst of all a bloody smile cut into his face. He wiped away the blood, revealing the wounds. He scowled, all pity for Charlie gone now.

He ran his fingers through David's dark hair, closing his eyes with his hand. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry, David. I was… supposed to protect you…" he took a shaky breath. "And I failed. This is all my fault." His eyes traveled to the ceiling. "I hope you're with your parents now. Your real parents. Not the one that got you… killed…" he cursed, crying now. "I promise, I won't let the same thing happen to Alice." He looked hard at the child's corpse. "I swear as God as my witness, I won't let the same fate come to Alice."

His mind may have been playing tricks, but David's mouth seemed to curl into a smile at his vow. A real one. Tristan wrapped his head with the rest of the blanket, picking him up in his arms and carrying him out of the door.

Sakura had already started digging a grave, by the strawberry bushes. He lay David's body down by the grave, and muttered that he'd be back. Sakura kept digging until she felt it was deep enough, and cast aside the shovel. She looked at the front door to see Tristan pouring some kind of chemical all over the deck. He tossed the now empty container back into the house, and walked back over to help lower David into the grave. Alice came outside, carrying a piece of wood. She set it over the hole as Sakura began shoveling dirt inside. _Here lies David. He had the biggest heart, and was taken before his time._

Alice looked up at Tristan. "Liz helped me write it." She said sullenly.

Tristan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's beautiful, Allie."

Sakura patted the dirt down, sighing and tossing the shovel to his side. "Let's get out of here." She muttered. "Torch the place."

"Gladly." Tristan growled, drawing his lighter. He returned to the porch, kneeling down and igniting the flame. He held it to the floor, and flames shot up and spread inside, the drapes and wood catching fire. Denny limped outside, and the six of them watched the fire burn for a few minutes before turning and heading for the RV.

Everyone sat down, and Denny squirmed as Tristan started up the vehicle. "I'm sorry for your guys' loss." She said after a while.

Sakura smiled at her. "Thanks." She pursed her lips, looking over the blonde girl. "How old are you?"

"25." She said shyly.

Sakura smiled again. "You're welcome to stay with us."

Her eyes lit up. "R-really? Thank you!"

Sakura nodded, sighing and leaning back.

Elizabeth got up from the couch, walking over to Tristan as he drove. "I don't want to hear your crap right now." He said shortly.

"Actually…" she responded, uncomfortable. "I wanted to apologize." He looked at her in surprise, and she snapped her fingers, and he looked back at the road. "Don't get me wrong, I stand by what I said. But… you were right too. The world is different, and you're doing the best you can for these kids. And honestly, I don't think too many people would be willing to go to the lengths you do for them. You may be a violent lunatic, but you're probably the best thing to happen to them in a long time."

He smiled. "I appreciate that." He glanced sideways at her. "I wanted to apologize too. I was angry and afraid, and I didn't mean to go off on a rant like that. You're a good person, and I admire you for trying to hold onto the Old World's ways."

She smiled at the compliment. "Thank you." She said, returning to the couch. Tristan exhaled, not knowing what was ahead. He figured Walkerville was better than nothing, so he set out again for the fabled town. Hopefully, they could finally find peace there.

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Rest in piece, David. Review!


	36. It's Complicated

**So here we are. Now John and Ella's group is up, last will be Ryan.**

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Crap. Crap. Crap… This they could use. John set the can of soup aside, picking up another can that had been punctured. Crap. He tossed the sticky tin in a pile with the rest. They had discovered the previous night that in the zombie attack from two weeks ago, the spare food storage in the Impala had been damaged. Though Ella hadn't fully grasped that, and seemed to be more worried about the acid damage to the car than the impending shortage of food.

Speak of the devil, Ella walked over and peered over his shoulder. "How screwed are we?"

"Very." he answered. "We should have taken the RV, it had most of our food supply." he tossed another opened can into the pile. Ella frowned, going to her knees and helping sort through the pile.

Her eyes went to the embarrassingly small pile of still usable food. "That can't be all of the good food left…"

"It is." John said, sighing in defeat and throwing away another can. "The animals are all hibernating, plants are dying, and all of our non-perishables are gone. We're going to starve before the zombies have a chance to eat us."

"Well, maybe if we get scrawny enough, the zombies won't bother us. No meat." she joked, smiling at John. He cast a sideways glare at her, and she scowled. "Lighten up. Tristan always kept a sense of humor when we were facing hard times, and I think we all need some high spirits."

"Well I'm a realist. And the reality is we're screwed." John said bitterly.

Dani had walked up behind them, and sat down. "What about Walkerville?"

John shook his head. "Canada is going to be even colder and snowier. And if Walkerville is really there, and is as big as they say, then they've probably stripped any supplies around them bare. We have a better chance of surviving staying here in the States."

"But if we power through, we can make it." Dani argued. John turned to offer a retort, and she scowled. "Look. We're all starving, and unless you have an idea to get food, and fast, then Walkerville is our best bet. If we put in long drives, ration the food, and stay together, we should be able to make it. I am not watching Tyson starve, or freeze to death."

"Tyson isn't the only one who's hungry and cold, Dani." John said exasperated. "You're part of a group now, and you need to think of everyone as a whole."

"Say that when you have a little brother you've been looking out for all your life." Dani muttered, standing up and heading back to the others, who were working on setting up camp for the night.

Dani's comment on brothers reminded John to check on Connor. He got up, heading for the Impala. Connor, as he suspected, was sitting in the back seat, staring off into space. Ever since they had escaped the attack, he had become reclusive, isolating himself. Sadness overtook his John's face. He felt for Connor, he had lost his boyfriend in a horrible way, and now he was torturing himself by sitting in silence and thinking of him.

John opened the door, Connor barely sparing him a glance. "How are you holding up?" John asked, sitting next to his brother.

"How do you think?" Connor muttered, leaning his head against the cold glass of the window.

John frowned. "I know, it's hard. But I don't think he'd want you to waste all your time sitting alone."

Connor glared at him. "How could you possibly claim to know what I'm going through?" he asked bitterly. "I lo… I cared about him. A lot."

"I know you did." John replied, squeezing his brother's shoulder. "And no one expects you to just move on and forget him. But you can't just shut down and ignore the whole world." Connor didn't reply, turning away from John to gaze out the frosty window. "Come out and help us. It'll take your mind off of it if anything."

Connor huffed, but nodded, following John out of the Impala and heading over to the campsite.

Connor wasn't the only one still in mourning. Sorano slowly made the night's dinner, her face blank. Her graying hair had seemed to have started going white over the past two weeks, and her eyes had gone bloodshot and sunken into the sockets. Tyson helped her, chopping any herbs or vegetables she muttered for him to cut.

He dumped the chopped celery in the pot and stared at her. "I miss them too." he said, offering her a smile.

She glanced at him, not returning it. "They were my little girls… and now they're both gone. And I couldn't do anything to save them. It's… It's a mother's worst nightmare." she choked, tears forming in her soft eyes. Her hands shook, and she dropped the bowl of herbs she had, burying her face in her hands. Tyson picked up the bowl, uncomfortable. He had no idea how to comfort her, so he decided to just continue following her instructions on dinner. He pinched some spices and sprinkled them in, stirring it.

John looked over the sad scene. Dani and Ella were struggling to pitch the tent, but the wind was making it difficult. Tyson working to stir the stew as Sorano sobbed next to him. Connor and Corporal were carrying rocks and sticks to the girls to try and keep the tent from flying away. He had seen less pathetic looking campsites when Connor was in cub scouts when he was five.

He sighed, looking over their now counted food stash. Three cans of beans, one can of soup, a bag of ramen noodles, and two bags of beef jerky. Even if they only ate one meal a day, and portioned out the meals to small amounts, they'd only last five or six more days before running out of food. On top of that most of the ammo had been in the RV and APC, and those were gone.

Ella cursed, the tent flap slapping her in the face after a gust of wind hit them. Dani grabbed it, forcing it down as Connor threw some rocks on top. She stood back, throwing her arms out. "Ta da! One tent!" she said proudly.

The canvas hung loosely on the rods that bent under the weight, sticks haphazardly placed to help support it. Rocks lined the flaps to keep it down, and in all there was maybe five square feet of sleeping room.

Tyson made a face. "I think I'll stick to the back seat of the Impala, thanks."

John sighed in frustration. "Ella, Connor and I can sleep out here if one of us is on watch at all times. The rest of you can sleep in the Impala more comfortably."

Everyone mumbled in acknowledgement, when Tyson stood up. "Dinner's ready!" he announced, pride in his voice.

Connor walked up, sniffing the pot. He gagged, and Ella cringed. "Uh, what is it?" she asked.

"Beans, spices, celery, all kinds of good stuff. Made it myself, with Sorano's help." He answered, getting bowls and serving the creation.

Dani took hers first, grinning supportively and taking a bite. Her eyes widened and she coughed, working to keep the smile on. "Erm, it's good! I think I just need a little salt."

Ella took a bite and gagged. "A bucket is what _I_ need." She muttered.

John sniffed his spoon and put it back into the bowl. "You added spices? What spices?"

"The stuff Sorano had in this bowl." He answered, holding up the mixing bowl Sorano had dropped. "Why?"

Sorano sniffed, wiping her eyes. "Dear, that was meant for the bread."

Tyson's eyes fell. "Bread?"

Dani squeezed his shoulder as Sorano got up to get a bag of bread from the back of the Impala. "It tastes good, don't worry about it."

John grunted, setting his bowl on the ground for Corporal to eat, the German Shepherd running over and happily lapping up his dinner. John absentmindedly scratched Corporal behind the ear, drawing a tail wag, not noticing Ella grinning as he scratched him.

Everyone else stuffed the dinner down, Tyson eating his happily. Afterwards, Sorano bid them goodnight, heading for the Impala. Dani and Tyson followed, and Ella stretched. "Who wants first watch?"

"I'll take it." Connor grumbled. "I'll wake John when I get tired."

John clapped his brother on the shoulder, following Ella to the tent. She crawled in, wriggling into a halfway comfortable position. John tossed in a blanket after her, crawling in himself.

He had underestimated the space, and he ended up being a lot closer to Ella than he wished. He felt hot despite November's crisp air, and decided to let Ella keep the blanket. He faced away from her, and he scowled at the fast pace of his heart. Why the hell did he keep feeling hot and sick around her?

She wasn't faring any better. She had been exhausted the past few weeks, but John had always slept outside, on guard. Now she was pressed up against him, and she was wide awake. She stifled a groan. It was going to be a long night.

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John awoke to Ella squirming out of the tent, grunting as she accidentally kicked his head. He had finally managed to fall asleep, and now he was awake. And cold.

He sighed, getting out himself as Ella made her way over to a bush. She glanced back at him, smirking. "Following a girl to the bathroom? I didn't think you were the type."

"Don't flatter yourself." He retorted, not letting her see the tint to his cheeks. She huffed in offense, walking into the woods and grabbing a roll of toilet paper from the trunk.

John stretched, searching for a blanket. Instead he heard sobbing, and walked around the side of the Impala to see Connor and Sorano handing a bottle of whiskey back and forth.

"Their father was never around." Sorano said, accepting a paper towel from Connor and blowing her nose. "He left as soon as I told him I was pregnant." She let out a dry laugh. "We were supposed to build a life together when we came here from Nepal. Apparently having kids wasn't part of his dream."

"Sounds like he was a douchebag." Connor said, drinking from the bottle.

"It gets better. When Sakura was eight, he showed up out of nowhere. Said he's been reevaluating his life, and wanted to start again with me. Foolishly, I believed him. We shared one passionate night, and then the next morning he was gone. Our safe looted. Turns out he'd turned to a life of crime. The police caught him, and I testified to put him away. Not long after, Amber was born. And I was stuck raising two girls on my own, working at a bank." Sorano accepted the bottle, taking a drink.

Connor grimaced. "No one should have to go through that." He said, taking the bottle back. "Can't say my dad was exactly warm, but at least he was around and supportive. Couldn't be prouder when John went pro and I became his agent." He smiled. "John and I, we've always been a team. He looked out for me when we were kids, he was the scary big brother I could call on. Still does look out for me. But when I was his agent, I could look out for him too."

Sorano nodded, smiling. "A relationship between brothers can be one of the strongest." She said wisely.

John smiled, Connor's words hitting home. He spotted a blanket, and went back to the tent. As he started to climb in, he stopped. A light. A campfire. Almost a mile away.

He stood back up, reaching for a sniper rifle and peering through the scope. He was right, smoke rose above the tree line and into the black winter sky.

Ella walked up behind him, and gasped when she saw it. "Maybe they have supplies!" She said excitedly.

"Exactly what I was thinking." John replied, grinning as he lowered the scope. "Mind if I borrow Corporal again?"

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The tree line was thick, so once John went below the horizon, he relied on the dog to lead him to the camp. It took nearly half an hour, but they reached the camp site. John peered through the bushes, surveying the scene.

He counted seven people, three men, three women, and one kid. Two of the men were identical twins, tanned skin and red hair, and they were singing Home on the Range together, one in a plaid flannel shirt and corduroy jeans and cowboy boots, the other in a white shirt and jacket, and black pants with rubber boots. Each one had one of the women by their side, staring lovingly up at them. Wives, he guessed. The one with Plaid Flannel was Hispanic, wearing a set of overalls and raven hair in a bun. The one with Rubber Boots he guessed to be Italian, olive skin and black hair hanging loose.

The other man was an old man, balding head in a snow cap and heavy trench coat around him. The other woman, much younger, was nuzzling up against him. She was gorgeous, black hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, and full red lips. The kid running around was around five years old, and resembled one of the twins.

Behind their bonfire and log seats was a cabin. It wasn't anything glorious, it looked like it was meant entirely for sleeping. Multiple windows, it seemed like there were multiple private rooms.

Corporal shifted next to him, and he pet his head. "Wait here." He whispered. He thought for a moment. "On second thought, come with me. People love dogs. Especially kids."

He emerged from the bushes, and Plaid Flannel man noticed him first. "Who the fuck are you?" he demanded in a heavy southern accent.

"Johnny, language in front of George!" The Hispanic woman scolded.

John raised his hands in surrender. "Relax, I just wanted to talk." He announced. Corporal walked around his legs, and the boy, George, gasped in delight. "Puppy!"

Johnny narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but let his son run over to play with the excited Corporal. John smiled, extending his hand. "My name's John too."

Johnny seemed to warm up a bit, shaking his hand. "Well, dandy meetin' ya. Any particular reason yer talkin' to us?" he asked.

"Yes, actually. My group and I, we've had a run of bad luck lately, and we're very short on supplies. Namely food. We were wondering if you had anything you could spare?"

The Hispanic woman stood up, suspicion etched across her face. "Why should we just give you supplies? And why should we trust you?"

"I know it's asking a lot, especially for a stranger." John sighed, avoiding the intense gaze of the group. "Look, I don't beg. Ever. But I'm desperate. My brother, my friends, an old woman, they're all starving. We won't last more than a week out here."

Rubber boots and his wife still looked unconvinced, as did the Hispanic lady, but pity crossed Johnny's face. "Aw hell, no man should have to beg for his family to eat." He grinned. "Say, why don't you bring em on down? Lilith is cooking up a deer we caught."

The Italian lady rolled her eyes. "Announce it, why don't you?"

Her husband, Rubber Boots, stood up. "I agree with Johnny. Name's Billy. And we'd be happy to have your friends join us."

Relief crossed John's face. "Oh thank Christ, and thank you!" he picked up his walkie, and raised it to his mouth. "Ella, I made it to the camp. It's a couple of families, and they're inviting us to dinner. Bring everyone down."

"Thank God, I'll start up the car." Ella replied, relief in her voice. The Hispanic lady stared at the walkie. "How many people are we talking about?"

"Ellie…" Johnny warned.

"It's fine. Seven, including me and the dog." John replied.

Ellie humphed, but seemed happy it wasn't a bigger number.

After about ten minutes, the Impala arrived, the occupants inside all looking tired and hungry. Lilith had finished cooking the deer, and had plates out for everyone. Even though it was nearly eleven at night, everyone was happy to have a proper meal.

As everyone ate, they introduced themselves. Johnny and Billy were twins, as John had already guessed, and seemed cheery and generous. Their wives, Lilith and Ellie, had started to warm up but still seemed annoyed and suspicious of the strangers in their camp.

The old man was named Jeremy, and the woman next to him was actually his granddaughter, Alisha. Jeremy seemed confused most of the time, and asked the group members their names several times over.

Connor grimaced as he was once again asked his name and where he'd come from.  
"My name is Connor, and my brother and I are from Vancouver. Same as I was five minutes ago." He answered irritably.

Alisha leaned close to him. "Sorry about him, he has minor Alzheimer's."

"Minor?" Connor commented, taking another small bite of deer. He sighed, handind his plate to John, who had struggled not to wolf his down. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. But I'm tired. Goodnight guys." He said bitterly, standing up and walking into the cabin.

John frowned at Connor's retreating form, but let him go. Ella looked at him expectantly, and he raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you expect me to do? I tried getting him to join in." he said.

"Try harder. He shouldn't be alone, not after everything that's happened." She pushed.

Johnny raised an eyebrow. "What happened to him?" he asked, setting his guitar down next to his seat.

"Two weeks ago we lost our group in a zombie attack." He explained. "One of the people we lost was his boyfriend."

"So he was one of them queers?" Billy asked, earning a hard jab to the ribs from his wife. John scowled at Billy, who raised his hands in defense, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't mean no offense."

John grunted, going back to his dinner. "He was bi." Ella explained. "You know, girls and guys."

Billy seemed like he was going to ask another question when his wife glared at him, effectively shutting him up.

Corporal sniffed Ella's plate, and she picked a chunk of deer and let him snatch it off of her fork. She noticed the weird look that John gave her. "What, you didn't question Tristan letting Diego drink from his water bottle before taking his own drink, but I can't give my dog some meat?"

"I said nothing." John defended. "But to answer your question, it was just as weird when he did it."

"If you had a dog you'd feel different, I guarantee it." Ella said, giving Corporal another bite of deer.

The conversation steered towards Johnny and Billy's life growing up on a farm. They both had fond memories, and happily recanted their past life to their guests. Around two in the morning, people started going off to bed. John stayed up talking to their new friends, Ella reluctantly staying with him and struggling to stay awake.

"So where are you guys headed?" John asked. "This camp doesn't seem big enough to be permanent."

"Quite the observer ain't ya? Yeah, we're heading to this town we heard about. Walking village or somethin'." Billy answered.

"Walkerville." Johnny corrected.

John raised an eyebrow as Dani's eyes lit up. "You don't say? We were heading there ourselves."

"I told you we weren't." John argued. "It's too cold, we'd never make it."

"These nice people are giving us supplies, John." Ella retorted. "That was your main argument before, but it's rendered moot now. We have the means and the supplies to make it. Now if you'd just pull your head out of your ass…"

"Will you both shut the hell up?" Dani interrupted as John prepared to make a comeback, scowling. "Look, John, Ella is right, we can make it now."

His scowl deepened. "Do you have any idea how much we'd be risking? What if we froze to death?"

"In case you forgot, nearly every house and building in the world is abandoned. It won't be hard to find shelter." Ella shot back.

"And how many of them have heat?" John retorted. "Face it, we'll freeze before we reach it, and that's assuming it does exist."

Johnny and Billys' eyes darted back and forth between the two as they bickered. "Erm, maybe we should all get some rest." Johnny suggested, uncomfortable.

"Excellent idea!" Dani agreed, stepping between John and Ella as they glared at each other. She took Ella's shoulders and started leading her away, Tyson tugging on John's shirt to lead him to the cabin.

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As everyone went to bed, Connor sat outside with a pair of whiskey bottles he'd found. He took a swig, coughing at the string taste. He knew he was treating his body like crap, this would be the third night in a row he'd be drunk.

He heard footsteps, and turned to see Dani walking up to him. "It's really cold out, what are you doing?" she asked, drawing her coat closer around her body.

"Getting piss-drunk." Connor answered, taking another drink. "At least when I'm drunk the pain numbs."

She sat down next to him, hugging her legs. "I can't say I know how you feel. I wasn't dating anyone when this whole thing started."

Connor grunted. "Lucky." Was all he said. He offered her the bottle, and she took it in surprise. "Never drank before?" She shook her head. "Nothing thins strong. Margaritas and wine in college." She answered, taking a sip and coughing. He smiled, picking up the other bottle and opening it for himself.

She took a deep drink. "Damn, I should have started drinking this stuff earlier." She said, and Connor laughed. She started laughing with him.

After half an hour, they were chuckling at nothing. The bottles were nearly empty. "You hold your drinks well." He commented.

She peered inside the glass. "I never drank anything this strong, but I wasn't a lightweight." She responded, taking a small sip. Connor chuckled, and she glanced sideways at him, and curled her hair in her fingers. "So…" she said. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business, but… Do you think you'll ever get over him?"

His face darkened. "I highly doubt it." He responded. He had gone stiff, and Dani feared she had angered him. "He was… just… he was my everything. I loved him."

Her eyes fell. "I understand. But, he's not coming back. And personally, I think he wouldn't want you to spend the rest of your life mourning."

"And what do you expect me to do instead?" he asked bitterly.

She stared at him, and seemed to come to a decision. She placed a hand over his leg, and started rubbing it. "Maybe, you just need… a distraction."

Connor's eyes widened. "Uh… I don't…"

She crawled on top of him, letting her honey hair fall over his own, her violet eyes staring into his. "Maybe… you just need to let your frustration out." She whispered, leaning in.

Connor was trembling, his face red. He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "Dani, you're nice, and I like you… but… It's too soon."

"I'm not asking for a relationship." She persisted. "Just sex. Mindless, passionate sex to take our minds off of all the crap around us."

Connor's tanned face was completely red now. The cold metal of her silver nose piercing pressed against his own nose, and Dani's hot breath sent a shudder down his spine. Her breasts poked into his chest in the cold, and she could feel a bulge growing. She took the opportunity of his silence stand up, grabbing his hand and pulling him up with her. "There's an empty bedroom in the cabin we could use." She persuaded.

Connor was very uncomfortable. "I-I…"

"Come on!" Dani said. She smirked, and she trailed her hand down his chest and rested it against his growing crotch. "I can make you forget."

Connor stared into her eyes. She could see the lust forming in his eyes. _Screw it_. He thought. He pressed his mouth against hers, kissing her roughly. She moaned into his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist as he lifted her up, carrying her into the cabin. She gestured to the empty room, and he walked in, throwing her on the bed without breaking lip contact. They frantically took their clothes off, wrapping themselves around each other. Connor threw the blanket over them and started rocking the old wooden bed, the headboard banging against the wall.

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The next morning, Connor groaned and clutched his forehead. The empty whiskey bottle entered his vision, and he slurred a curse. He buried his face in the pillow, the bright light shining through the window only irritating his headache.

Then he tensed as he felt a warm hand start caressing his back. He threw the covers back to see a sleepy but smiling Dani. His jaw dropped in horror as she buried her face into his arm. "Last night was _amazing_." She said sleepily. He stared at her until she opened her eyes, then she paled as she realized what was going on. "Oh shit…"

He could only stare as she leapt out of the bed, covering her sun kissed chest. "Well don't look!" she shouted, and Alec turned the other way, crimson. Oh dear God she was buck naked, and he couldn't help staring as she bent over, showing herself as she grabbed a shirt to pull over her head. Her blonde hair was wild, and a pair of angel wings were tattooed on her back with the name "Cathy" underneath.

He cleared his throat. "Wh-what… did we…?"

She nodded, pulling the shirt over herself. "Yes." She said in monotone, not looking at him.

He paled. How was she so calm about this?! And how could he do this to Alec?! "Oh, fuck." He muttered, falling back into the bed and covering his face with his hands. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…"

She looked at him, still pale, when the door opened, John stepping through. "Connor? Are you in here? We're leav… Oh." He stopped as he saw Dani standing frozen by the bed, her shirt covering her chest and her pants halfway on, Connor staring in horror from his bed, naked. "I'll, uh… just leave you two alone then." John said uncomfortably, closing the door.

Connor cursed, throwing his clothes on and taking off through the door, leaving Alisha confused and half dressed.

John and Ella were loading supplies into the Impala, and Connor ran up, grabbing his brother's arm. "We need to talk." He said. Not a request. He led a reluctant John to the side of the cabin, turning to face him in panic. "John, I got drunk last night and…"

"And fucked Dani. Yeah, I saw." John cut him off.

Alec groaned covering his face. "How could I do this?! I-I've betrayed Alec, John! What the fuck am I gonna…"

"Connor!" John interrupted, punching his brother in the shoulder. "Buddy, calm down. Look, you got drunk and did something stupid. Big whoop, everyone is stupid when they're drunk."

"But not everybody cheats on their boyfriend when they're drunk!" he hissed.

John sighed. "Connor, look. Alec isn't coming back. He died. You can't keep feeling guilty, you'll only be hurting yourself."

Connor sighed, fidgeting. "God, how could I…"

They were interrupted by Billy opening the door. "We're heading out, Johnny left you guys some supplies by the door." He smiled warmly. "We hope to see you in Walking Village."

"Walkerville!" came Johnny's voice, Billy rolling his eyes and closing the door. John turned back to Connor, gripping his shoulder. A warm smile came over his scarred face. "You'll be okay. Just go with the flow for now."

John left after that to help load up the Impala. Connor grimaced, reluctantly following. "Going with the flow is the reason I slept with her." He muttered.

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Dani and Connor squeezed into the back with Sorano, Ella sitting up front with Corporal between her feet. Tyson was awkwardly wedged into the floor space in the back. Connor and Ella took care to sit on opposite sides of the car.

Ella narrowed her eyes as they drove past what seemed like an endless forest. "Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Unfortunately trees exist, and they're everywhere." John quipped. "I know what I'm doing."

Ella frowned but said nothing, looking back out the window. She sighed, closing her eyes.

Her eyes shot open. It was darker now… She looked out the window to see that they were on a bridge, overlooking the sunset. The sky was fiery; the silhouetted clouds making the sky look like lava. It was beautiful, the oranges and reds contrasting against the black and fading blue, and the creeping dark colors of the night sky taking over.

She smiled, then realized she felt warm. She looked up to see Johns face directly above her. At some point while she was sleeping, she fell over and rested against his arm. Her cheeks flushed, and she shifted in her seat, Corp waking up as well and whining as her legs moved.

John glanced down at her. "She's alive." He quipped, smirking. "You've been asleep for nearly ten hours."

She glanced in the back to see that everyone else was also asleep. "I'm not the only one."

"No, but so far you've been asleep the longest. They started dropping off around two hours ago." John responded.

Ella hummed in response, looking back out the window. "Look at that sky…" she said, yawning and stretching her arms.

"What about it?" John asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Slow down and look." She answered. "Enjoy beauty while it's around."

He sighed, slowing down and glancing out the window. His eyes widened at the sight. "God Damn." He whistled.

"Right?" Ella said, grinning and pressing her hand against the frigid glass, scratching Corp with her other hand. Her eyes were watery. "I used to watch the sunset as a little girl. My brothers would take me up to the roof at dusk, we had this little nook we'd sit in…"

John stared at her as she reminisced, smiling. "You've mentioned your brothers before, what were they like?"

"Sal and Dave." She answered. "They were twins…"

"Identical?"

"Don't interrupt." She chided. "And no. Sal had long black hair, Dave had short brown hair, Sal had blue eyes, Dean had green. And Sam was half a foot taller. But they both had the same smile, we all did. We all got it from our mother."

John smiled. "You guys must've taken some great family pictures then. You have a great smile."

She blushed, not letting him see it. "Thanks." She said. "Anyway, they both became cops. They grew up doing everything together, occasionally letting me tag along. And they were fiercely protective of me." Her smile turned to one of sadness. "do you remember, after we were saved from Marlo's, what I told you?"

"How could I forget that some shit stick got you drunk and…" he left the sentence hanging. "Yeah, I remember."

"Dave spent a week tracking the guy down and once he found him, he and Sal beat the crap out of him." Ella said.

"I thought you said he never got caught?" John replied.

"He didn't. Dave had to get ahold of certain evidence to track him down, and the court ruled it as illegally obtained evidence. Everything else was circumstantial they said, so he got off. On top of that he sued my family for his injuries."

John gripped the steering wheel, gritting his teeth. "A technicality?" Ella nodded, and John fumed. "The legal system was always broken." He muttered.

"Wouldn't want his rights to be breached." Ella said bitterly. "Even if mine were."

She felt him grip her arm and pull her close. She didn't resist as he hugged her with one arm. "I'm sorry, Ella."

She shrugged, depressed now. "Not your fault." He drove like that for a while, just letting Ella lean on him. Soon enough a loud snort broke the moment as Connor rubbed his eyes, waking up. "God damn it…" he muttered, clutching his forehead.

John scowled. "That's what you get for drinking an entire bottle of whiskey by yourself."

Connor flipped him the bird as he covered his eyes. "It is entirely too bright out, what time is it?"

"Late." Ella said. "The sun is going down."

"Impossible." Connor groaned. "Otherwise I wouldn't feel like the sun is stabbing my eyes." He lowered his hand. "Where the hell are we?"

"Somewhere in Minnesota." John answered.

"So we're not heading for Walkerville?" Connor asked in surprise.

Ella turned to glare at John. "What the hell John?"

"I don't recall us all agreeing to go." He defended.

Ella scowled, then reached back and shook Dani's shoulder. She mumbled incoherently, rubbing her eyes. "Wake up. John, pull over."

He raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to find shelter first?"

"I'm sick of going back and forth on this. I say we take a group vote." She answered. Dani stretched, Connor nudging Tyson and Sorano to wake them up. John sighed, slowing down but not stopping. Once everyone was awake, Ella turned to face them all. "We need to decide where we're going. I think we've all had time to think about it, now we need to decide if we're going to Walkerville or not."

"I think Ella and I are both for going to Walkerville." Dani said, Ella nodding in agreement. "Connor?"

Connor looked nervous. "Look, shouldn't we…"

"I'm just as sick of arguing as you guys are." John interrupted. "Decide."

Connor shot him a glare. "Thanks, brother." He muttered. "Though I agree with him. I just don't trust people anymore. There's corruption everywhere. I say we stick it out out here."

All eyes turned to Sorano. She met them with a blank stare. "I don't care." She said softly. "I'll go wherever the rest of you go."

Dani looked at her brother. "Two against two, bro. You're the tie breaker. What are we going to do?"

"He's… seventeen?" John asked, looking at Tyson, who shook his head. "Sixteen?" Tyson nodded. "He's sixteen, and you're putting it on him to make such a big decision?"

"Y-yeah, I don't really know." Tyson whimpered meekly. He shifted on the floor. "Look, could I at least get up? I've been laying down here for twelve hours."

Sorano and Connor moved their legs to let him sit up. He scratched his mop of hair, still nervous. "Do I have to be the tie breaker?"

"No, you don't." Dani and Connor said at once. Ella sighed, staring at John and Connor. "You're both making this difficult."

"We are? You the one who won't let it drop." John argued, drawing an intense glare from Ella.

"Let it drop? We're talking about the possibility of keeping what's left of our group alive!" Ella said angrily, and the others all groaned.

"Seriously, guys?" Dani said, exasperated. "I'm getting sick of you two constantly butting heads!"

"He started it!"

"She started it!"

The two of them shouted in unison, following up by matching glares. Connor huffed, putting his chin in his hand. "Tristan was right, you two need to kiss and make up already."

The two of them turned in outrage to Connor. "Him?! Of all the people in the world…"

"Like you're any better." John muttered, earning a jab to the chest from Ella. He scowled, slapping her hand away, which was followed by her slapping him across the face, in turn receiving a push into the door from John.

"Oh shit, guys!" Connor and Dani cried, jumping into separate them as they started grappling. Ella managed to reach past him and open the driver's seat door, kicking him out with a well-placed blow to his gut, sending him sprawling as the car moved forward, slowing down now that no one was driving.

John fell onto the road, immediately getting back on his feet. Ella was fuming in the car, and Dani struggled to hold her back as Connor got out to restrain John from jumping back in. John shoved Connor away, getting back in and pushing Dani off of Ella. He grabbed Ella's shirt, pulling her forward until their foreheads were touching. "Are you fucking insane?! Pushing me out of a moving car?!" He yelled, earning a smirk from Ella.

"Aw, did big tough John hot his head off of the pavement?" Ella teased, earning a furious scowl from John as Connor tried shouting at them from outside.

"Why you little…" John growled.

"GUYS!" Connor screamed. "DRIVE! TANK!"

"What?" The two of them said in surprise, turning to see a tank barreling towards them, followed closely by a group of runners.

John let go of Ella's shirt, getting back into driving position. "Get back inside!" He shouted at Connor. His brother was barely inside when John slammed on the gas pedal. They shot forward, the Tank's claw scarping against the trunk as it tried to grab the car.

The highway was long, and all the exits were barricaded with heaps of abandoned cars. John was stuck maneuvering the car-riddled road with no escape in sight. The tank drew ever closer, while they had to drive around every obstacle the Tank simply smashed anything in its path to the side. John gritted his teeth. "Take the wheel." He growled.

Ella's eyes widened. "John, don't…"

"Just do it!" John shouted, grabbing her hand and placing it on the wheel. John opened the driver door, extending a hand to Connor. "Hand me a gun."

Connor turned to the trunk. "Which gun?"

"ANY GUN!" John shouted, Connor jumping and grabbing a shotgun and handing it to his brother. John leaned out of the car as Ella worked to keep the car steady, aiming at the runners first. He shot one down, shot the legs of another, then obliterated the face of another. One runner got past the tank and leapt for the car, and John unloaded a blast straight into its face. It fell, head gone as the tank squashed what was left of the body under its feet. It roared in fury, reaching for John. He squeezed round after round into the monster, but it was unfazed by his attacks, only getting closer. It's hand reached out, and fear came over John's face. He shot the hand, managing to knock it away with the force of the shot. He cursed. He looked back inside, at Ella. She was pale, driving from the passenger side, her ebony hair flowing behind her. She noticed hi staring and stared back like he was a lunatic.

Sadness overcame his face. "I'm sorry!" He shouted over the wind. Horror overcame her face as he leapt out of the car, her screaming his name lost in the wind as he tackled the Tank. They were near the side of the road, and they went over the guard rail. The tank struggled to get a grip on John as he latched onto its back as they rolled down the incline. John reached out, grabbing a vine that burned his hand as it started coming out of the dirt. A blinding pain shot across John's chest as a stone sliced his torso, tearing his shirt open, blood staining the dirt. It finally stopped, stopping him from falling as he clutched the plant in his hands. The tank dug its hands into the ground, stopping itself and starting to climb towards him. John glanced behind it, seeing a drop off. If he could knock the tank over the edge, he could send it to its death. Most likely along with his own. He gritted his teeth, aiming the shotgun with his free hand and firing, the recoil sending his arm flailing. The tank roared as the pellets hit its face, sliding back down slightly, dirt going with it. John reached his arm up, getting the pump near his hand on the vine so he could get the gun ready to fire again. He used two fingers to slowly pull the pump down, the click letting John know he could fire again.

A large rock lay in the dirt next to John, and he got an idea. He aimed at the base and fired, working against the recoil as he raised his arm to pump the shotgun, aiming afterwards and firing again. Rock turned to pebbles that bit his face as he blew away yhre ground clutching onto the rock. It started to shift, and John kicked out to give it help. The stone started to dislodge, and the tank was getting closer as hit crawled its way up the slope, snarling. John took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he kicked it one final time.

The rock came loose, slowly sliding down the slope then rolling. It picked up speed, and slammed into the Tank's face. It slid down, the rock weighing it down. It grabbed the stone and tossed it over the edge behind it. The tank's legs were dangling over the side, it just needed one final push.

This was it. John closed his eyes, his friends' faces burned into his mind as he let go of the vine, letting himself slide towards the roaring beast. He went in feet first, his boot landing solidly into the Tank's eyes. It roared as it went over the edge, trying to grab John's leg s it fell. John let himself slide after the tank as it fell, keeping his eyes closed. He wanted to keep thinking about them until the end. Ella's face seemed to burn in his eyes brighter than the others. Ella…

His neck snapped back as he was suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes to see his feet just over the edge. He slowly looked up to see Connor with one hand clutching John's shirt, holding onto a rope with his free hand, Dani and Ella at the end of the rope shouting his name.

Despite the situation, John smiled. Then his eyes started feeling heavy, and he noticed his now red shirt. The once tan fabric was soaked in blood, his blood. The tear revealed the gash going across his chest, dirt and gravel embedded in the wound. It stung, but he was still tired. His vision went red, yet somehow so stiflingly black, and he muttered incoherently as he started to drift off, his friends yelling his name in the distance.

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Ella fought back the tears as she picked the rocks out of the gash in John's chest. Dani was prepping a needle and wire, cleaning it with alcohol that Connor had volunteered. Hard liquor.

Connor walked in with a wet towel soaked in disinfectant, and Ella took it. She picked out what she hoped was the last piece of dirt, and started cleaning the wound. "Does he still have a pulse?"

Connor pressed two fingers against his brother's neck. "Faint, but yeah." He answered softly, fighting back his own tears.

Ella sighed, scrubbing away the blood. John's ruined shirt lay discarded in the corner, and his full upper body was bare. She ran the towel over his chest and down his abs. His years as a wrestler had chiseled his body, but in this state he looked feeble. His skin was pale from blood loss, and his breathing was erratic.

Dani handed her the needle as she finished wiping everything away, and she swapped the towel for the needle. She started at the bottom, pausing as a tear fell from her cheek and onto his abdomen. "Please…" she choked out. "Please don't let him die…"

Dani hugged her and Ella steeled herself. "Dani, you can go check on Tyson now. He looked sick when we carried John in."

She nodded, getting up to leave. Connor leaned against the wall, watching as Ella started sewing the wound shut. It was less than an inch thick, but it was bad. The rock that had cut him open had been jagged, and the scar from this would match the pair on his face. Coincidentally it even went in the same diagonal line, starting high on the right and ending low on the left.

She had gotten 90% of the way when a groan escaped John's lip. She gasped, dropping the needle as she leaned over him, looking at his face. His eyes slid open, his jade eyes looking back at her worried emerald ones. "Ella…?"

"John!" She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into the crook of his neck. "Jesus Christ…"

Connor had run over, placing a hand over his brother's forehead. "Jesus fuck, man, are you okay?"

John's eyes slowly moved to stare at his brother. "What the fuck do you think?" He answered hoarsely. "I have a huge fucking gash in my god damn chest."

Connor grinned. "Now I know you're okay."

John smirked, grimacing as he slowly sat up, Ella moving away to give him some room. "Dammit…"

Ella stood up. "You're not going to pass out again?"

John shook his head. "No, I should be fine now…"

"Good." She cut off, and a harsh pain came over his face as Ella's hand backhanded his cheek.

John looked at her in shock. "What the hell was that for?!"

"For being a dumbass!" She shouted right back, loud enough to make even John jump back at the ferocity in her voice. "What in the name of God were you thinking?! You almost killed yourself, you jackass!"

He scowled. "I saved everyone in that car from being eaten. That's what I was thinking."

Ella's hand flew out again, and John caught it in his fist. "You arrogant… you're not indestructible! You're not some invincible superman who can go around tackling monsters off of cliffs!"

His grip tightened around her hand as he stood up. "I was protecting you. All of you."

"At the expense of your own life!" She shot back. "We could have found another way!"

"What the hell do you care, anyway?" John retorted, Ella's jaw dropping in outrage. "Since well is my well-being your primary concern? Barely two minutes before I went down that hill you kicked me out of a moving car!"

She was trembling now. "You are such a complete and utter moron." She growled. "I kicked you out because I knew you wouldn't die and you needed to be taught a lesson. Of course I care about your well-being! I have never wanted you to die! Or come close to dying, or do anything so life threatening, or even get hurt beyond a couple bruises or scrapes!"

"Why?" John asked, and Ella went to slap him again with her other hand, which he caught. With both hands in his fists, he got up and pinned her against the wall, getting close so their faces were inches apart. "Why do you care so much?" he demanded.

" _Because I care about you, you asshole!_ " She screamed. "I love…" her eyes widened, as did his. "I-I…"

His grip loosened on her hands, and they slowly fell to her sides as she stared blankly into John's eyes as he stood there shocked. "…What?"

Connor had been standing awkwardly in the corner, but now he inched towards the exit, grinning. He slipped out as Ella's eyes fell. "I… I didn't…"

John's hand went to her chin, and he tilted her head to look back at him. "…How long?" he asked softly.

She stared back at him, opening her mouth and closing it. "I… I don't… know… I never…"

John was dumbstruck. "I thought you hated me?"

She sighed. "You are so dense…"

"See? That, that right there. It's insults like that…" he started.

"It's because you _are_ an asshole." She muttered. "But… you're a noble one. A loyal one. An incredibly stupid, reckless, big hearted one."

He let his hand fall, then leaned in. Ella's eyes went wide as his lips pressed against hers. His were rough and chapped, and his mouth tasted metallic, like blood. But he was gentle, not forceful but light, barely brushing her own soft and supple lips. She placed her hands against his chest and pushed away. "D-Don't fuck with m-me!" she stammered.

"I'm not." He stated simply, getting close again. "Ella… words can not describe how much you irritate me."

"Just what every girl wants to hear." She muttered. "Very flattering, John."

"I wasn't finished." He said. "You irritate me because of the effect you have on me. No one has ever butted heads with me and called me out on my actions as much as you do." He smirked. "And as horribly annoying as it is… it's somehow still…" he searched for the right word.

"Appealing?" she offered.

He nodded. "Appealing. _You_ are appealing." He flushed, evident even in the dark room. And… you make me feel… hot." He said lamely. "Sick, when I'm close to you." He elaborated. "And I used to think tha it was because you were just so damn hard to be around, but now… I realize it was because I wanted you. Badly. More than anything. And that thought…" he left the sentence hanging.

Ella was captivated. "What? The thought what?" she pressed.

He averted his gaze. "It scared me." He admitted. "I've been so used to having everything in my control, calling the shots, having my feelings in check, and knowing what was going to happen… having someone around that changed all that simultaneously annoyed me and scared me. And on a level… excited me."

Ella was pressing her own body against his now, and placed her hands on his chest. "So… do you… like me too?"

"That's the whole point of what I'm saying!" he snapped, then his gaze softened. "I mean… yes. Ella, I've liked you… cared about you… for an irritatingly long time."

"You're not one to hide your feelings. Why didn't you say anything?" She asked.

"Because this was different. I've never felt this way, about anyone, ever before. I had absolutely how to handle it." He answered.

Her eyes were wide and bright, and John found his eyes travelling down to her mouth, like they had just two weeks ago. Ella noticed this, and smiled. "I never guessed you had such a sensitive side, Johnny." She cooed.

"Don't call me that." He ordered, cringing. "It'll kill the mood."

Her hand travelled up to cup his cheek, and his own hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her in close. "Well, we wouldn't want that…" she whispered, and she closed her eyes as she leaned in.

John closed his own eyes as he kissed her again, both of them letting all the other senses hit them. The earthy smell of her body from all the travelling they'd done, his sweaty odor riling her up. The sound of her gasping as he slid his tongue across her lips, asking for entrance. She let him in, wrestling for control, her winning and exploring his mouth. The sound of his belt and gear clinking against each other and rubbing against her jeans.

He groaned as her tongue wrapped around his. "Yr intxng…" he mumbled, and she pulled away, gasps escaping the both of them. "What?"

"You're intoxicating." He breathed, and she grinned as he pulled her back in, pressing her up against the wall. She chuckled, entwining her fingers in his slick black hair, her own ebony hair tickling his cheeks. Their hips grinded against each other, each of them moaning into the kiss. John's right hand went around her neck, while his left travelled down to cup her ass. She laughed at this, grinding against him to rile him up even more. He growled into the kiss. "Dnt tz m."

She sighed pulling away again. "What?"

"Don't tease me." He repeated, smiling. "Or I just might punish you."

She placed the tip of her finger against his nose, pushing him away slightly. "Not so fast, Johnny boy." He growled at that. "Let's see where this goes."

He scowled, then gave way to a grin. "Alright." He flushed. "We can still… you know… keep doing this?"

She laughed at his expression. He was adorable like this. "You better keep doing this." She answered, pulling him back in.

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"So do you think they're fucking yet?" Dani asked, rubbing Tyson's back as he slept on the stony floor, using her leg as a pillow as she sat against the wall.

Connor grimaced. "I don't really need the image of my brother having sex." He muttered.

She smirked. "I know you were thinking it."

Connor sighed. "I think we'd hear them even out here. I grew up with him, remember? He thinks he's quiet during his 'private time' but I guarantee you could hear him even if a freight train was passing by."

A weird look overcame her face. "That's a weird analogy."

"Well, it's true." Connor responded. He smirked. "Besides, he's all talk. I don't think he'd even know what to do."

Dani's eyes widened. "So he's a…"

Connor paled. " _Do not_ say a word! He'd kill me if he knew I told anyone."

She laughed. "What's the big deal?"

"He has this 'badass wrestler superstar' reputation going on, so he says." Connor answered. "I guess along with that goes the assumption he's gotten a lot of action."

Dani laughed at this. Then her face grew stony. "Speaking of sex…"

"Don't." Connor muttered.

"We can't ignore what happened." Dani said. "And… I want to know what your thoughts were."

Connor was silent. "How long have you liked me?"

Dani raised an eyebrow. "Alec, we were drunk. It wasn't love, just lust."

"'A drunk man's actions are a sober man's thoughts." Connor quoted.

Dani smirked. "Okay, Confucius. First off, I'm girl. Second, it takes two to tango. And third, I am _not_ in love with you."

Connor clearly didn't believe her. "Whatever." He muttered. "By the way, _you_ came onto _me_." He sighed. "Alright, obviously neither of us want to do it again, so let's just put it down to an emotionally high and drunken mistake. Agreed?"

"Agreed." She answered.

Then Ella walked out, John following, both of them grinning. Dani smirked. "So?"

"I know what you're thinking, and no. We didn't."

"All we did was have an intense make out session." John bragged, Ella jabbing his chest but smirking.

Connor grinned. "Well it's about damn time."

John smirked. "By the way, the vote is three to one now."

Dani glared at Ella. "What? The guy confesses his love to you and you just up and flip flop?"

"No, I did." John interjected. He smiled at a crimson Ella. "I trust your judgement."

"Both of them, or just Ella?" Connor teased.

John ignored him, turning to leave. "Where are we?"

"Abandoned gym." Ella answered, switching on the lights to reveal the lockers.

John smiled. "Well, let's figure out where exactly we are so we can set course for Walkerville."

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 **Yay, Jella is canon now! Ryan will be the last chapter before the reunion. Also, Merry Christmas everyone!**


	37. A Renewal of Faith

**This will be the final arc before the reunion, following Ryan as he struggles to get his family to Walkerville.**

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Three days. Three days, that's all the time that had passed since they were abandoned. So why did it feel like it had been more than a week?

In all honesty Ryan didn't feel like anything was real. The world around him was surreal, like a dream. Or more accurately, a vivid nightmare.

The APC had half of the weapons, and it had been blown up. The RV had almost all the food and the other half of the weapons. Poor planning on their part in hindsight, but who was willing to consider the possibility this would happen? The Mustang had virtually nothing, space for six people among that nothing. Mike and Amber had been squeezed into the back with Aaron, Jaina laying across their laps. Alec was sitting up front with Ryan. They did have a minivan at one point, but Ryan had decided to use it as cover while they slept on the side of the road. A pair of boomers showed the need for the cover, but eliminated their second means of transportation.

And almost all of them were depressed. What hope did they have of making it to Canada? And Jaina's wound hadn't gotten any better, in fact she had lost so much blood her speech was incoherent and she was in a state of comatose most of the time. It was all Ryan could do to keep her fed to prevent her going into shock. He knew she would feel awful when she woke up and learned most of the food had gone to keeping her alive, but it was better than her going into shock and never waking up.

Alec still seemed optimistic. "The others will head for Walkerville, we'll catch up and meet them there!" He had urged them, trying his best to keep morale up.

But even now he was silent, watching the snow covered trees pass as Ryan drove. A large body of water came into view as they passed some trees. "Ladies and gentlemen, Lakes Michigan and Huron." Ryan announced in a tour guide voice, attempting to cheer himself and the others up. "On your right you'll see Lake Huron, and on your left Lake Michigan. We'll be passing over the connecting point, and after wards we can stop for pictures and the gift shop."

Alec chuckled, and Jaina laughed weakly. "Dork." she teased, followed by coughing. Aaron only grunted while Mike and Amber stayed silent.

Ryan pulled over to a hotel. "Let's stay here for the night."

Aaron got out first. "So, want to use the Mustang as a shield too? Or would you like to make sure we still ha e a ride in the morning?"

"Shut it Aaron, it was a mistake. Let it go." Amber snapped, cranky from being pressed up against him. She and Mike helped Jaina out, who was still barely conscious. Blood covered the backseat, her bandages were soaked again.

Then a groan reached their ears, and Amber cursed. "I thought we lost them in Ohio!"

"Apparently not." Ryangrowled. "Alright guys, here's the plan…"

"Uh uh." Aaron interrupted. "So far your plans have backfired, and I'd like to stay alive."

Ryan scowled. "Well I'm sorry you're displeased with my decisions, but I'm trying to get us to Walkerville. You've been following me so far."

"Maybe I don't want to follow you. I haven't seen any evidence showing that you have any business leading us." Aaron retorted.

Ryan scowled. "I don't like your tone. I'm trying my best to…"

"Your best isn't enough. Because of your bright ideas we're down a vehicle, and…"

The groans of the dead brought them back to the situation. Ryan opened the trunk and tossed Alec and Mike weapons. "Aaron, Amber, get Jaina inside!"

Amber nodded, picking Jaina up as Ryan got behind the Mustang, Alec and Mike staying behind a barricade. Ryan felt a body next to him, and saw Aaron kneeling next to him. "I thought I…"

"Amber had it covered, I need a gun." Aaron interrupted.

A tank roared, barreling towards them. Ryan turned to Aaron. "We need more ammo! Get to the trunk of the mustang and grab me some .45s, then get yourself a gun!"

Aaron ignored him, instead grabbing the assault rifle out of Ryan's hands and running to another cover. Ryan shouted at him in anger, then went silent as Aaron aimed and fired.

Ryan saw the oil tanker right before it exploded, airings bullet piercing side and blowing up the tank along with it. The explosion set fire to the surrounding dead, burning most of them to the point where they couldn't move. The group quickly dispatched the rest of the zombies as Ryan looked on in disbelief.

Alec glared at Aaron. "You left Ryan defenseless." He growled.

"I wasn't defenseless…" Ryan muttered.

"You're welcome." Aaron retorted, throwing the gun to the ground. "I just saved all of our asses."

"That's not… That's not the point!" Alec said angrily. "You shouldn't just go off and do your own thing!"

"Why not? Tristan does it, John does it, Sakura and Ella both do it." Aaron reasoned. "And they're our leaders."

"So is Ryan." Mike added.

"Guys, enough." Ryan said tiredly. "Let's just get inside. It'll be a long night."

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Inside, Ryan personally set up a room for Jaina as the others got settled in. After tucking her in, he sat down in a nearby chair, exhausted. He buried his face in his hands, running his fingers through his sandy hair.

"...What's… Wrong…?" Ryan's head shot up to see Jaina staring at him.

He scrambled over, kneeling next to the bed. "You're awake." He said in disbelief.

"I'd hope so." She said tiredly. "Otherwise this'd be a fucking painful dream." Ryan chuckled at this. "You didn't answer my question." She croaked.

He sighed. "It's… It's nothing." He answered. Jaina shot him a look, and he offered a small smile. "Alright." He sighed again, averting his gaze. "I've just… I've been having some… Doubts."

"About Walkerville?" Jaina asked hoarsely.

"About myself." Ryan answered. "I've felt pressured to become a leader in the absence of the others, but it seems like all I've been doing is screwing up. Aaron went on a little rant about how I'm unfit… And I'm worrying he's right."

"Don't listen to that twit." Jaina said. "You've led us before."

"Alongside Tristan, John, Sakura, or Ella. They're the real leaders. I'm just… Kinda on the side lines."

"You're not to me." Jaina retorted, smiling softly. "Have some faith in yourself. You're doing a good job."

"How would you know? You've slept through most of it." Ryan teased. Jaina reached out and pulled his ear. "Ah, okay I get it. I take it back. J-Jaina, Jaina! UNCLE!" He cried out.

Jaina laughed, letting him go. She watched in amusement as Ryan rubbed his ear. "You're adorable." She muttered, laying her head back.

He flushed. Adorable? He glanced at her as she pulled the covers up to her chin. "Goodnight, Jaina."

"Goodnight, Ry." She responded.

He got up, switching the lights off and closing the door.

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The next morning, they packed up the Mustang, heading for the bridge. Jaina was feeling much better, even helping carry supplies to the car. It was three hours before they reached it. They set off across it, ignoring the bodies strewn across the road.

They failed to notice a head stick up, the boomer snarling as it got up. Aaron screamed at Ryan to turn, giving him enough time to swerve around it.

The explosion rocked the car, tipping it. Amber and Jaina slammed against the door, which swung open as Amber grabbed the handle to steady herself. Jaina tumbled out, Amber on top of her, and the Mustang slowed to a stop on the other side of the bridge, Ryan barreling towards them. He helped Jaina to her feet, Mike helping Amber as Alec covered them.

They all took off for the Mustang as the runners drew closer. Amber cried out as she was tackled, and Mike growled, grabbing a stone from the ground and caving in the head of the runner, helping a shocked Amber up and leading her back to the vehicle.

Jaina gritted her teeth as she limped, firing her gun behind her. Her training allowed her to make good time despite her leg, but even so she was trailing behind. A boomer got close, and she managed to kick it away, forgetting her injury and crying out as she used her bad leg. The boomer exploded on the ground, and to her disgust body fluid splashed over her, the bone fragments flying in all directions. Runners were closing, and she decided to stop running and stand her ground. She shot every zombie that got near herm but she was quickly getting surrounded. Then Ryan barreled past her, wielding his machete in his right hand and a pistol in the other. He shot and hacked, thwacked and whipped the dead.

She grinned, impressed as he defended her. He turned briefly to look at her. "Run! I'll cover you!"

She nodded, turning back around and limping for the Mustang. A runner came up to her side out of nowhere, and she backed up to the edge as she beat it off, managing to get a shot in and putting it down. Then another zombie tackled her from the side, and she fell onto her back, half her body hanging over the edge of the bridge. She gritted her teeth, getting a leg up and pushing the zombie over her head, sending it to the rocks and water below. She got on one elbow, struggling to get up when another boomer approached her. She backed up again, forgetting where she was. Her hand slipped, and she started to go down, gasping in fear.

Ryan whipped around to see Jaina start to fall, and time seemed to slow down as he took off towards her, planting a bullet in the boomer's head as he shot past it. He grabbed her outstretched hand just in time, as her legs followed her over the side. She was now dangling in the air, fear on her face as Ryan struggled to pull her up. Alec and Mike were yelling at Ryan to hurry up as they covered him, and Ryan moved his foot forward to get better footing. His boot went into a blood puddle, and he paled as his foot slid forward. Before he could stop himself, he was going over the side of the bridge, screaming with Jaina as they fell.

Then he stopped. The wind left his lungs as he suddenly halted midair, and he looked behind him to see that Jaina had grabbed a jutting rock and grabbed the back of his sports jacket at the same time. Dust and gravel fell, and Ryan struggled to stay still so as to not make it any harder for Jaina to hold him. She gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes in determination. She had no idea where to go, she didn't have any free hands to climb, and there was a hundred foot drop below them. It didn't help that some of the especially stupid zombies were jumping off the edge just to fall past them as they tried in vain to grab them.

Ryan looked below them, desperate to spot anything to help them. He spotted a large log floating down the river. "Jaina…" he started. "This is gonna sound crazy, but I need you to drop me."

She looked down at him in outrage. " _What?!_ Are you insane?!"

"Trust me!" He called back, eyeing the log as it quickly reached the point below him. "I need you to trust me!"

She looked beyond apprehensive. Her look plainly told him _This is Suicide!_

"Now!" He shouted, ignoring her. She bit her lip, but decided to trust him. She let him go, and Ryan plummeted to the water below. He landed in the water with a large splash, and he struggled to find the right way up. He slammed into a rock, the powerful current pummeling him. After a moment his head rose above the surface, gasping and coughing, trying to get the water out of his mouth and lungs. He stuck a leg out, gaining a foothold in the rocky bank. Anchored now, he prepared to grab the log. It passed, and he leapt out, grabbing it as it sped down the river. He reached out and grabbed ahold of a branch, and he struggled to maintain his hold on the log. "J-Jaina!" He sputtered, coughing. "Drop!"

She looked at him in apprehension, then a zombie nearly grabbing her as it fell made up her mind. She took a shaky breath, and let go of her rock. She crashed into the icy water, her hands flapping over the surface. Ryan wondered why she was taking so long, then he paled. Her legs. She couldn't swim properly!

Her arms were drawing nearer, and Ryan had to let go of something to grab her hand. He decided to keep hanging on to the branch, abandoning the log and grabbing her hand as she passed. He yanked her above the water, and she clutched his body as she coughed up the water. "G-God dammit, Ry…" she chattered. "Th-this was n-not a g-good id-dea…"

"We're alive, aren't we?!" He shouted over the roar of the water. He didn't give her a chance to answer, pulling her up to the bank and helping her up. Now just he was left in the water, and he started climbing. He felt a cold hand grip his cargo pants, and he paled as a zombie pulled itself out of the water, snarling as it worked to get it's maw near his leg. He kicked out at it, struggling to plant his boot in it's face. It only continued to snarl, scrabbling at his pants, trying to get to the flesh beneath.

A gunshot rang out as Jaina leaned over the edge and shot it, its arm falling limp as the current washed it away. Jaina grabbed Ryan's arm and hoisted him up with her, both of them now safe. For the time being.

They lay on their backs, gasping and coughing as the adrenaline wore off. Alec poked his head over the edge far above, calling down to them. "Hang on!" Came his voice. "We'll get you out!"

Ryan shook his head, sitting up. "Go!" he shouted back. "Get to the warehouse! We'll meet you there!"

Alec looked back at the ridge where Mike, Amber, and Aaron were all desperately fending off the zombies. He was apprehensive, Ryan could tell that much from here. "Don't worry, I'll get us back! Focus on getting the others to safety!"

Alec conceded, turning to face the others. "Move! Get to the Mustang!"

Everyone was more than relieved to flee, Mike covering them as they all loaded into the vehicle. Alec hopped into the driver's seat, Mike sliding in next to him as he fired his gun. They sped off down the road, and Alec couldn't help but stare in guilt at the ravine as they drove away from their friends.

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Jaina watched with passive interest as Ryan tried once again to climb up the slope, and despite the situation smirked when he slid down again, dust covering his black jacket. He cursed, kicking the stone and immediately regretting it. Pain shot up his toe, and he fell backwards on his ass, and Jaina couldn't help herself this time. She laughed, and Ryan shot her a glare.

"S-sorry…" she got out, trying to calm out. "It was just really funny."

"You're not the one who keeps falling on your ass." he muttered, brushing himself off. His scowl disappeared when Jaina grunted in pain, and he turned to see her clutching her leg. His eyes widened as he saw the blood. "Your wound re opened? When?"

"When we fell." she answered sheepishly.

Ryan cursed. "Jaina, that was nearly an hour ago!" he ran over, pulling up her pant leg to see the blood soaking her bandages. "Shit…"

"I'm fine, focus on finding a way up." she said.

"You're not fine." Ryan retorted, pulling away the bandages. He reached into Jaina's bag, feeling around until he found a roll of bandages. "No disinfectant…"

Jaina sighed. "Look, I said don't worry about me. Go find a way…"

Ryan ignored her, unrolling the bandages and starting to wrap them around her wound. She sighed in defeat, letting him nurture her. When he was done, he stood back to admire his handiwork.

Jaina smirked. "Good to know my legs are still good looking even when they're bleeding." she flirted.

Ryan's cheeks flushed, and he scrambled to stand up. He looked back at the cliff face, and sighed. He looked back at Jaina as she struggled to stand up. He placed a hand on her shoulder to gently push her back down. "Don't exert yourself…"

She slapped his hand away, scowling. "Don't." she said. "I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow, doubt evident in his expression. "Really?"

She ignored him, limping over to the rocky wall. She looked around the area, searching for a good starting point. She saw a particularly rough looking section, lots of foot and hand holds. She limped over, grabbing a rock and pulling herself up, Ryan watching from the side. She lifted her leg, and placed her foot in a nook. Immediately she cringed as her wound flared. Her arms trembled,a nd she cried out as she started to fall.

She never hit the ground, Ryan had dashed forwards and caught her. He offered her a smile. "Look, you really shouldn't…"

"Mother FUCKER!" She shouted, punching the wall in frustration, dust falling down from her punch.

Ryan flinched at this. "Jaina?"

She sat down, burying her face in her knees. "God dammit…" she muttered. Ryan's face softened, and he sat down next to her. He tentatively hugged her. "I hate feeling weak." she said, breaking the silence. "I can't stand the thought of being vulnerable."

Ryan smiled at her. "Jaina, you have a very deep wound in your leg. And despite that, you saved me from falling, pulled me out of a river, and haven't gone into shock despite constantly over exerting yourself. You're not weak." She lifted her head to glance at him, and his smile grew. "You're one of the toughest people I know."

Her cheeks went red, and she turned away from him, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Thanks, Ry." she replied.

He smiled at her, then lifted his eyes to the darkening sky. "Let's camp out here tonight and find a way up there tomorrow." She nodded in agreement, and Ryan started walking along the bank, searching for a cave or even a big enough nook in the rock to sleep in.

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Ryan watched Jaina sleep from outside. He had found a hole big enough for one of them, and Ryan had insisted she take it. Though as the night chills bit his skin, he couldn't deny that he was tempted to crawl in there with her. The thought brought heat to his face, and he quickly put that thought out of his mind.

He looked up the cliff face. He and Jaina were stuck along a ridge in the rock, with a hundred feet of rock to climb and a deadly river in front of them. So swimming wasn't an option. All they could hope for was to climb.

Now _how_ they were going to accomplish that, that was the issue. It was crumbly and smooth, and the few footholds that were available weren't strong enough to support them. He sighed, running his hands over the wall. He spotted a strong looking rock, and experimentally pulled on it. It slid out, dirt tumbling after it. He stared at the dust coating his feet, then cried out in frustration, taking his machete and hitting the wall in anger. He cursed, it was stuck. He'd gone too deep. He put one foot on the wall, pulling on the handle. He cried out as it came loose, bringing a rain of dirt and dust with it. He scowled at the wall, then his eyes lit up. He looked from his machete to the deep hole he had stabbed into the wall. He grinned, he had an idea. He ran around the water, grabbing any rocks or sticks he saw that were over a foot long.

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Jaina opened her eyes slowly, wincing as the morning sun blinded her. Was it morning?

She scowled. "Dammit Ryan." she muttered. She stuck her head out of the nook. "Ryan!" she called. "I said I could handle taking second watch, why the hell didn't you wake me up?" No answer. "Ryan!"

"Over here!" he called, and Jaina looked down the bank to see Ryan sitting next to a pile of rocks and sticks, sharpening something. She limped over, seeing that the pile was composed of strong looking sticks whittled into spears and rocks sharpened to a point. "I came up with an idea to get us out!" He said proudly. "Take off your belt."

She looked at him. "Excuse me?"

He blushed. "N-not for that!" he exclaimed, earning a smirk from Jaina. "No, really. It's for my idea."

She rolled her eyes, complying. She stopped halfway when Ryan set the rock he was sharpening down and took off his own belt. She hesitantly finished, tossing it at his feet. He grabbed it, looping it through his own belt. He turned so that she was facing his backside. "Get close to me."

Jaina had absolutely no idea where he was going with this, but she shrugged her shoulders, standing close enough that they were touching. "Climb up so our waists are level." She grabbed his shoulders, hoisting herself the needed few inches. He proceeded to loop the elongated belt through their belt loops until it was securely around them both, Ryan buckling it. He reached for Jaina's bag, and he started loading it with as many sticks and rocks as it could carry, putting the rest in both of their various pockets. He walked them over to the cliff face, and promptly stuck four rocks into the side, one at the bottom, another one to the left of that but slightly higher than the first, the other two the same way but higher up. Jaina realized what he was doing and grinned as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Ry, you little genius."

"Genius, yes, but I believe you're the little one here." he teased, earning a jab in the back from Jaina. "Ow…"

"Man up." she teased back. "But seriously, this is genius!"

He turned his head and grinned back at her. "So here's what we'll do. You jab the sticks and rocks in, and I'll climb."

"Sounds like a plan." she replied.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Ryan started to climb, Jaina sticking a stick and rock above them, Ryan immediately grabbing them and hoisting himself up. It was awkward at first, but they soon fell into a rhythm. Stick, rock, left foot, right foot, left hand, right hand. Rinse and repeat.

They weren't exactly speedy, but they made good time. Nearly a half hour in, they were a third of the way up. Jaina felt Ryan's pounding heartbeat, and his groans of pain and exertion weren't quietly hidden. "You can do it Ry, we're… almost halfway." she said lamely. "How are you doing?"

"Peachy fucking keen." he responded, grabbing the stick she had just stuck in. After another thirty minutes past, it became evident how much this was affecting Ryan. She cringed as his now bleeding hands curled around another rock. "Ry, you're not looking too good."

"You try carrying a…" he stopped himself from saying heavy. "A person up a hundred foot cliff face by clutching onto sharp rocks. Then come talk to me."

She narrowed her eyes. "Were you about to call me heavy?"

Ryan paled. "Er… not in the way you think!" he said in a panic. "I meant, like, I'm not strong." he finished meekly.

She was smirking, but she didn't let him know that. "I have a few words for you when we get up there."

He gulped. Wonderful. He sighed, grabbing a stick and cringing as the wooden splinters punctured his bloody raw hand. Then the dust started coming loose, and Ryan cried out as the stick fell free, now dangling from the rock his other hand was grabbing. It started slipping too, and Ryan struggled to get his feet back on the two sticks below. Jaina stabbed the wall with another pair of rocks, and Ryan grabbed those as the other one fell loose. Ryan looked around, and paled. The area around them had a texture similar to sand. "Jaina, this dirt is loose." he whispered.

She nodded. "I noticed. What's the plan?"

Ryan looked below them. "We're almost two thirds of the way up, there's a sixty foot drop below us. Only way to go is up."

She looked in worry at the cliff wall. "Ry, this is a bad idea."

"Well, we don't have any more options." Ryan responded. "So all we can do is climb. Give me another rock."

She reluctantly complied, stabbing the cliff wall again, not liking the falling dirt. Ryan went half the speed as before, taking care to test each hold before putting any real pressure on it. It was almost an hour until the final ten feet drew near. Jaina sighed in relief, Ryan not noticing as sweat drenched his clothes. "Ry, we made it!"

He looked up, grinning tiredly. Then he moaned. "Noooo…" She looked at him in questioning. "Look."

She looked back up, now noticing the ledge. It stuck out at an angle, in order to climb to the top they'd have to basically crawl across a ceiling of rock. They had no way of getting around it.

Jaina paled as Ryan roared. "Mother FUCKER!" He shouted, beating the wall with a free fist.

"Ry, calm down. We can…"

"Can what, Jaina?! Levitate around it? Build a jet pack? Drop down and jump on a super trampoline?! We're trapped, because I was so caught up in a plan i didn't think it through!" he said angrily. "Stupid, stupid!" he banged his forehead against the rock. Now he was really worrying Jaina.

"Ry, please! Freaking out is the last thing we should do here!" she yelled. "Look, we can work past this. I refuse to die up here."

"You won't die up here. You'll die when I eventually pass out from exhaustion and we fall to our deaths." Ryan retorted bitterly. "Face it Jaina, Aaron was right. I have no business trying to lead any of us, my plans just bite me and everyone else in the ass. I failed."

She scowled. "Will you stop saying that about yourself? How could you know that this would be here? You're not a failure Ryan."

"No? Then why are we in this situation?" Ryan asked. "We're arguing on the side of a cliff, with no way to the top and death below us. And we're here because I didn't plan ahead like a leader should."

She sighed. "Ryan, if it weren't for you we'd all be dead. You pushed through all that rubble, you got us moving to Walkerville, your idea with the minivan saw that the boomers didn't sneak up on us. and you saved me from falling to my death. You're anything but a failure."

He smiled at her words, then his eyes widened. "Wait a minute… Jaina, get us closer."

She smiled, trusting him and jabbing more sticks into the wall. They reached the overhang, and Ryan held out a hand. "Rock, please."

She handed him one, and he started jabbing the dirt. "The dirt here should be just as loose as the rest…" He reasoned, as soon the dirt started falling. Dust coated their heads but Jaina was cheering as Ryandug through, and soon light came out of the other side. Jaina helped pull it down, and Ryan climbed a little higher. "Climb up." He ordered.

Jaina complied, using his shoulders to boost herself up, crying out in hot as she got back on solid ground, and she turned to help Ryan up. She heard a groan, and she turned to see a zombie reaching for her. Then Ryan grabbed it's shoulder, throwing it over the side. He whooped, helping Jaina up and walking her towards a jeep. "Let's get back to the others." He said confidently.

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A chorus of groans echoed through the town as the herd tried clawing their way past the fence. The warehouse was run down, like everything else. Cold, damp, boarded up, glass smashed, crates broken, forklifts on their sides. Inside the group huddled around the shelves, praying the zombies would lose interest.

Mike stared nervously out of the window of the warehouse, Amber sitting on a crate next to him. The herd had followed them, and they were still trying to claw through the fence, thank God no tanks had shown up. Aaron sat in the corner, content with staying as far away from the window as possible.

And Alec was pacing impatiently across the concrete floors. The floors hadn't deteriorated, and the smooth glassy sealant was still hard. So Alec's harsh footsteps echoed around the large building, _click click click click_.

Aaron winced at a particularly loud footstep, and stood up in irritation. "Alec, it's been over sixteen hours. We need to go before that herd gets through."

Alec glared at him. "We're waiting." He said shortly, halting his pacing.

Aaron scowled. "You're not thinking logically. Alec, they fell down a damn ravine. Jaina's legs are probably both broken at best, and you and I both know Ryan wouldn't leave her. He's either gotten them both killed, or he's still trying to carry her up that slope. Face the facts, the likelihood they're getting back is a million to…"

"Oh for Christ's sake, shut the hell up!" Alec cut him off. "Why are you so ready to abandon our friends?"

"Ryan is our brother, and Jaina is our sister." Amber muttered. "I'm not leaving them."

"I agree. Besides, Ryan has already been dealing with the fact that the rest of our group left us in a collapsed building, just like the rest. How do you think he'll take us leaving the two of them out to dry, knowing full well they're alive?" Mike asked, not taking his eyes off of the ever growing herd.

"We don't know they're alive, just like the others didn't know we were alive!" Aaron argued, his cheeks turning red with frustration. "You're all talking like I'm the bad guy but I'm trying to think of the group as a whole! We have a chance to leave now, but if we keep waiting then that herd could break free and we'll lose our only chance at getting out of here alive!"

"Ryan and Jaina are part of the group too. If you were thinking about us as a whole, you'd want to wait for them too." Amber countered.

Aaron sighed in defeat, sitting back down. "Fine. But when we get eaten…"

"Just shut up, Aaron." Alec interrupted, returning to his pacing.

After a few uncomfortable minutes, Mike cleared his throat. "Look, I agree we should wait, but Aaron does have a point. That fence won't hold, shouldn't we at least come up with a plan?"

Amber glanced at Alec, who was ignoring him. "It's not a bad idea…" she admitted. "Alec?"

He sighed. "I don't know." he replied. "I have no clue how to handle this situation."

"Great. Another 'leader' who doesn't know what he's doing." Aaron muttered, earning glares from everyone else.

They were interrupted by a loud clanging sound. They all whipped around to stare out of the Windows to see the herd breaking through.

"We have to leave, now!" Aaron shouted, running for the back.

"Agreed!" Mike shouted, taking Amber's hand and leading her to the back. Alec stared at the entrance as the dead pounded on it, cursing and running after the others.

They got outside, and Mike kicked a spitter to the ground so Amber could stab it's head. Then Aaron cried out as a group of zombies stood in front of them, snarling as they ran towards their next meal.

Then a jeep around the corner and creamed the herd of zombies. Ryan girlfriend at that shocked group. " what are you guys waiting for? Get in the mustang!"

They all grinned and complied, climbing inside the Mustang and following the jeep out of the lot.

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Ryan pulled over to regroup once they had a good distance between themselves and the herd. As soon as Ryan got out, Alec tackled him in a bear hug. "Thank god, I was starting to think…"

Ryan laughed, clapping Alec on the back. "Not yet." Ryan said cheerfully. "I intend to live for awhile."

Amber was hugging Jaina, Mike fist bumping Ryan. Aaron walked up, not looking at Ryan. "Look, I wanted to apologize. I realize I was a bit of an ass…"

"A bit?" Alec muttered. But Ryan smiled. "No hard feelings buddy."

Jaina patted Amber on the back. "So, what now, leader?" She asked, flashing him a smile.

Ryan returned it with a bright grin. "We push on to Walkerville."

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 **Next is the reunion! Merry Christmas everyone, stay safe and love your family. Also, Jesus and religious stuff. That too. Unless you're of another faith, then happy holidays!**


	38. A Merry Reunion

**Happy New Year everyone! (Even though it's February. I've been busy as hell, so it's a bit late for a Christmas chapter. Nevertheless, here it is.) I hope you all got what you wanted for Christmas. I sure as hell did, so I'm a happy Deathy.**

 **A fluff chapter for a reunion. Don't worry, there'll still be zombies and killing, but only in the beginning. This is meant to be a relaxing chapter. So enjoy.**

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 _December 24_ _th_ _, 2024. It has now been a little under two months since we lost most of our friends. I stopped fucking around and we're finally heading for Walkerville. I've put it off for long enough._

 _So far no change on Alice's mental state as I can see. I'm worried about her, she's only ten years old and now a woman lies rotting in her home because she pulled a trigger. Not that anyone here blames her, if she hadn't we might be dead. Elizabeth still blames me for the whole incident, though I couldn't possibly care less. At any rate, she's been helping us loot and gather supplies so we can power through. So that's good news. Denny has recovered from Charlie's attack, and she has a nasty scar as a trophy from it._

 _Progress has been slow, winter is a bitch anywhere, and it's Hell in Canada. We lucked out getting the RV from the hotel lot. Out of all the vehicles in our little convoy, it had the most food in it. We're only now starting to run low on food. So far the cold has been the worst thing. I haven't exactly minded Sakura wanting us all to sleep closer together at night to conserve heat, but it still sucks ass. Thankfully Nunavut is only two days away…_

"Whatcha writing?" Sakura asked as she drove, drawing Tristan back to reality.

"Journal stuff." Tristan replied, closing the little book. "Wish Santa was around so I could ask for a new Journal, I'm running out of room in this one."

"Do you think Santa got bitten?" Alice asked from the couch. "Or do you think he's still safe at the North Pole?"

Tristan and Sakura exchanged a glance. "Uh, I'm sure he's fine Allie." Sakura answered.

"Sometimes I forget she's only ten." Tristan muttered, sighing and staring out of the window.

Sakura smirked. "I wonder how long it'll be before she needs 'the talk.'" She wondered aloud.

Tristan paled and whipped around to stare at her. "Wh… I don't… You don't think…?"

She laughed. "You're the closest thing she has to a parent. Who else is she going to ask her questions?"

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Motherfuck… I can't do that!" He glanced at her as she worked to contain her laughter. "It's not funny! How the hell am I supposed to have that conversation?!"

She shrugged, shoulders shaking as she laughed. "I'm in no state to give you answers, I'm loving this too much."

He scowled at her, resting his chin on his gloved fist. "You're evil." He grumbled.

She only smirked as she drove. Then she frowned, slowing down. Tristan looked at her in question. "Look at the road."

He looked out of the window to see a very thick layer of ice coating the asphalt. "Perfect." He growled, getting up and walking towards the back. "Denny, where's that bag of salt we found?"

"We used the last of it last week get rid of the ice around the wheels, remember?" Liz answered, not looking up from her book.

Tristan sighed, looking back outside. "Alright, Sakura. Let me take over driving."

She scooted to the passenger side as he hopped over the couch, getting ready. He took a deep breath, and slowly started moving forward. Sakura's eyes widened as he slowly drove over the ice. "You can't be serious…"

"This is the way to Walkerville. We don't have any other options." He responded, turning around the corner. "We'll drive slowly, and hopefully make it past all this frozen crap."

Sakura only looked back outside in worry, not noticing the dark storm clouds rolling in behind them.

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Jaina walked out of the gas station with an armload of food. "This place was untouched!" she exclaimed. "We're good on food for the next few days!"

"We only need two more at most." Ryan replied, working to override the systems at the gas pump. "Walkerville isn't far now, we've almost made it."

Aaron humphed as he rubbed his hands together. "About time, this cold has been a bitch."

Alec followed Jaina outside carrying his own bags of food. "Gotta admit I thought we weren't going to make it after last week." He commented, setting the bags in the trunk after Jaina. "I didn't realize how scarce food would be here."

"Well, we've powered through." Ryan replied, whooping as he got the pump going, filling up the gas tank. He looked around and frowned. "Where are Mike and Amber?"

"In the store." Alec answered, shutting the trunk. "Amber wanted to do a final look around and Mike wanted to stay with her."

Ryan nodded, smiling as he watched the pump.

Inside, Amber pawed through the boxes, shivering. Her hands were freezing, and they were starting to shake.

Red filled her vision as a pair of mittens entered her vision. "Found these in the storage area." He said, smiling. "Thought you might like them."

She smiled, taking the gloves and sliding them over her hands. "Thanks." She said, relishing the fluffy warmth. She examined the mittens closer. They were red with white snowflakes covering the back, a pair of white lines around the wrist. "And they match my new red coat, too."

Ryan had them stop at a Wal-Mart to get warmer clothes. He had gotten a heavy black jacket, Jaina choosing a blue jacket. Aaron had chosen a heavy brown winter coat that hung to his knees, and Alec had decided to stick with his leather jacket. And Amber had chosen a glossy red designer jacket with white buttons. She rubbed her hands with the mittens, warming up as Mike watched her. His eyes travelled down, the red jacket hugged her body. He wasn't sure how it kept her warm, but it sure as hell looked good.

His eyes shot back up as she turned to look at him. "Not that I don't mind the company, but wouldn't you be more use outside?"

He shook his head. "I'm standing guard for you." He replied, smiling. "Don't want any zombies sneaking up on you."

Her eyes seemed to get angry for a moment. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I can handle myself." She muttered, turning back to the box. "I don't need a guard."

He frowned. "Did I say something to upset you?" he asked.

"No…" she started. "I just… I told you, I don't need or want a guard."

She was avoiding looking at him now. He scratched his head. "Everyone needs someone looking out for them. That's how you survive."

"Then how did you survive on your own, hm?" she asked, picking out a bag of jerky. "You were alone when Tristan found you."

"I was hiding out in an attic every day, terrified to go outside." He responded. "And that was because I didn't have someone to watch my back. Even when Tristan was alone he had Diego. And Ryan had Rachel, Alec had Natalie. And…"

"I get it." She snapped. "My point is, I can handle myself."

"Well, unfortunately for you I don't want to leave you by yourself. So you're stuck with me." Mike responded.

Now she was angry. She threw the bag of jerky at him to carry while she went to the next box, Mike sighing and scratching his head in confusion as he clutched the package.

Back outside Ryan had finished with the gas pump. "Alright, can one of you guys go get Mike and Amber? We're ready to head out."

Aaron nodded, hopping off of the hood of the mustang and making his way to the store. Alec frowned, earning a questioning look from Ryan. "What?"

Alec pointed behind him in response, and Ryan turned around to see almost black clouds rolling in, darkening the light and the sky. Ryan narrowed his eyes. "Well, here's hoping it'll just pass over us."

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John squinted at the map. "It says we need to take route thirty…"

"I'm telling you it'll be faster to go this way." Ella interrupted, pointing at a side road.

John frowned. "How could that be faster than taking the highway?"

"Because the highway will be covered with abandoned cars, just like it always is. Plus, the highway branches off here…" she pointed at a turn. "…and then goes in the opposite direction. If we take the side road it's a straight path to where Walkerville is supposed to be."

"But it goes right through a large section of woods. It'll be harder to see zombies there." John retorted.

"Must you make everything difficult?" Ella scoffed, glaring at him.

Connor watched as the two argued, grinning to himself. Dani was sitting on the hood of the Impala next to him, watching. "How are they even dating?" She asked.

"They were made for each other." Connor answered. "I think for all their bickering, it will just bring them closer."

"That doesn't make any sense." Dani muttered. "How does fighting bring you closer?"

"It… It just does. Don't question it." Connor answered. He glanced back inside the Impala where Sorano sat in the back with her heat against the front seat. "How is she? Any better?"

Dani's face fell. "No, worse." She answered. "I'm starting to get really worried, this depression is just… sucking the life out of her."

Connor frowned. "We should keep an eye on her, then." He said. "Make sure she…"

They were interrupted by a grunt of pain from John as Ella thumped his forehead. "I can do without your sarcastic remarks." She said, turning to the others. "We're leaving the highway and taking the side road."

Connor chuckled as John scowled, heading for the Impala. "Remind me never to piss Ella off." He commented, Dani only grunting as she got off the hood and into the back seat. Ella turned the car on, turning to the ramp leading off the highway and driving. Connor started snickering, earning weird looks from the girls but a glare from John, who knew exactly who he was laughing at. As they drove, a thunderclap reached their ears as the dark clouds approached.

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Amber sat passed out in the passenger seat of the Jeep, Mike trying to keep an eye on the Mustang. A snowfall had started, and as time went on it was getting harder to see.

Ryan had a worried expression on his face, the road was icy and he couldn't see more than a couple meters at best in front of the car. They turned down a road, trees surrounding them as they navigated the narrow road.

Alec leaned forward from the back, pointing at something through the snow and trees. "I think I see something, a cabin?"

Ryan narrowed his eyes, looking through the trees. Sure enough, the faint outline of a log cabin sat in what he assumed to be a clearing, a dirt path leading to it. "Yeah, there is."

"Why do you ask?" Jaina asked, glancing back at Alec.

"I can see why. The snow is getting thicker, pretty soon driving is going to be next to impossible." Ryan replied for him. He turned the mustang down the path, looking back to make sure Mike was following him. They drove through the piling snow, and soon they were nearing the porch. A loud squeal pierced their ears as the car slowed to a stop, all of them simultaneously cringing as Ryan stepped on the gas, trying to move forward.

Jaina glanced out of her window, looking down at the wheels. "The front tire is stuck in a drift." She commented. "We're not going anywhere."

"Wonderful." Ryan glowered. He sighed, looking out the window. "Grab what you guys can and make a run for the porch. We're going to stay the night, or at least until the blizzard ends."

"Gotcha." Alec replied, slapping Aaron's arm to wake him up and opening the door. Immediately the roaring of the wind hit their ears, snow flying in and covering the leather seats, much to Ryan's protest. Jaina pushed him out of the car, chuckling as he scrambled to brush the snow back outside. They all ran to the trunk, grabbing weapons and food. Thankfully Mike and Amber seemed to catch on, exiting the jeep and grabbing some provisions from the back. Soon enough hey abandoned the vehicles, already shivering as they tried to run through the knee high snow. It seemed like an eternity before they reached the shelter of the porch, Amber stamping her boots to get the snow off while everyone else ran for the front door without bothering to clear their legs. She cringed as Alec picked the lock and ran inside, everyone tracking their dirty and wet feet into the cabin. If her mother was here… the thought brought tears to her eyes, and suddenly she didn't care about the cold anymore as she slowly trudged into the house.

Inside, there were cobwebs everywhere. But aside from that, the place seemed untouched. The fireplace had a full set of logs inside, and Jaina judged the couch in front of it to be adequately comfortable as she plopped down on it, stretching and massaging her leg. There were three wingback chairs, two on one side of the couch and another one the other side, with a side table next to that with an ornate lamp on it. There was a bear rug in front of them with a heavy mahogany coffee table on top of that. Multiple hunting trophies were lined across the wall, along with old swords and guns that none of them recognized. There was a creaky but stable staircase leading up to a second floor with bedrooms, and a kitchen lay off to the side of the living room. Amber walked into here, opening the refrigerator to find it empty, save for an old carton of orange juice and a jar of pickles. She cringed, closing the door to look through the empty pantry. She shrieked as a rat jumped out of one cabinet as she opened the door, landing on the counter and knocking over an empty wine bottle as it scampered through a hole in the wall. Amber glared at Mike as he unsuccessfully suppressed a laugh, Alec smirking himself as he walked through the back hallway, discovering an old fashioned bathroom.

Ryan walked back downstairs, having checked the rest of the place for any zombies. "It's all clear." He announced, easing into a seat next to Jaina's head. She scooted up and laid her head in his lap, sighing in content as she closed her eyes. "I don't know about you guys, but I. Am. Beat." She said, putting extra emphasis on the "Beat."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "All you've done is sleep the past two weeks."

"Yeah, but I've done other stuff." She defended as the others got into the chairs, exhausted. "I've been doing inventory and shit."

"Yeah, because we all know that's the hardest job." Aaron commented snidely.

"You're one to talk. You've been hanging out in the cars this whole time." Mike responded. "What's your excuse?"

"Extreme laziness." Amber replied for him, drawing snickers from the others as Aaron glowered in his chair. She returned from the kitchen, sitting on the other end of the couch.

They all sat there, the cabin surprisingly warm despite its shambled appearance. And they hadn't even lit the fire yet.

Ryan laid his head back, his eyes growing heavy. He decided to let himself fall asleep, when groans snapped his eyes wide open.

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Ella hummed as she drove, John looking at the map and giving directions. Dani, Connor, and Sorano were wedged in the back, Dani and Connor making sure to sit on opposite sides with Sorano in the middle. Tyson was on the floor again, much to his dismay, and was asleep.

Both Connor and Dani had also fallen asleep, and Sorano was gazing blankly out of the window as the visibility got shorter and shorter.

Ella glanced back to see this, then turned her eyes to look at John. His nose was buried in the map, trying to find the best route. Since their confessions to each other, they'd been surprisingly… Non-intimate. She had given him a couple pecks on the cheek, and he'd always returned them with a smile and a kiss. But they hadn't gotten anywhere near the intimacy they had shared in that room, when everything was thrown into the open. And one thing that she hadn't gotten out of her mind, was a certain phrase that he had so far failed to utter.

She reached a hand over, grasping his and squeezing. He looked up in surprise before smiling and squeezing back. She sighed as his attention immediately returned to the map. "Love you too." She grumbled.

"Huh?" he asked, looking up.

She pursed her lips, working to not scold him. "Nothing." She answered. "Where next?"

"Take a left…" he started.

"There's a herd." Came a soft voice. John turned around to see Sorano staring intently out of the window. "At the bottom of that hill. A couple tanks, and a bunch of others all running in the same direction."

John looked to see where she was talking about, and immediately saw the herd. They were all running towards a clearing, and now that he was listening, he heard faint gunshots. "Someone is in trouble."

Ella sighed. "I don't suppose we can just keep driving?"

"No." he responded, eyes hard now. "We can't." he glanced at the map again. "Drive until you see a wide path leading down there. It looks like there's a rental vacation home in the middle of a clearing, a cabin. That's the most likely spot."

She nodded, following his directions. Within five minutes they were speeding down a dirt path, passing the herd as it ran parallel to them through fields of white. A tank ran across a path of ice, then roared as it fell through it and into a lake that had been covered by snow. The rest of the herd immediately branched out, moving around the sides and giving them the group the chance to get a bigger lead.

Soon enough they saw the cabin, and John's suspicions were confirmed as zombies lay dead in the snow, red staining the white. The blizzard was at its worst, but they could see the glow of lights inside the cabin, and the silhouettes of figures firing guns from the porch. Ella slowed the Impala to a stop, grabbing a gun when Sorano shrieked, pressing her face against the window. "It's the Mustang!" She cried.

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After a while of silence, Alice turned in her seat to face Tristan. "Tristan?"

He rounded the bend carefully before facing her. "Yeah?"

She looked uncomfortable, avoiding his gaze. A heavy tension surrounded her. "Do you…" she started. "Do you… enjoy… killing people?" She managed. The others in the back of the RV lifted their heads in surprise at the question.

He narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"When you kill people, do you like it?" She explained. Her eyes were dark as she waited for his answer, dreading it but unable to resist asking.

He stared at her for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road. He took a minute to decide what he would say. He settled on one word. "Yes."

Denny's and Sakura's eyes widened, and Elizabeth scowled. What the hell was he doing?

Alice turned to look back at the road. "Oh." She processed his answer. "Why?"

Tristan sighed. "There's a lot of evil in this world, Allie. Always has been. But in the Old World, there was law, and punishment to keep the evil in check. But not in this world." He slowed the RV to look at her again. "There are some who are worse than others. People who hurt the innocent, who do horrible things. So I've decided that whenever I meet someone like that, I'm going to take those people down." He sighed again. "And… and when I kill them, take away their life and ensure that they'll never hurt anyone again… I won't lie. It's a good feeling."

Alice slowly looked back at him. "But, isn't killing wrong?"

"A lot of the time, yes. And the way I do it, certainly. Alice, you need to understand how I am. I am seriously fucked up in the head. What I do, it's not 'good'. And you should never enjoy killing. But that's just the way I am."

Alice averted her gaze again, turning his words over in her head. He placed his hand on her shoulder, and she looked back at him. "What did you feel when you killed Charlie?"

"I felt… nothing. At first." she answered slowly. "I was angry that David was dead, I was sad for her, I was scared that more of us were going to die… but when I pulled the trigger, I was just…" she couldn't finish, unable to form any more words in her mouth.

"Shocked? Numb?" Tristan finished, and she nodded. "And what do you feel now?"

"Scared." she answered, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm scared, because I don't know what all I'm feeling."

"Do you feel happy? Satisfied? Are you glad you killed her?" She shook her head rapidly. "Good. Alice, you're a good person. I know you've wanted to help us fight, that's why you've disobeyed me in the past to come help. But this is why I didn't want you fighting. Because I remember the first time I ever killed someone. I was numb for a while, I couldn't believe I had taken a life from this Earth."

"Who was it?" Alice asked, curious.

A dark look came over his eyes as the memory came back to him. "I had just been deployed, and I had been dropped off in Afghanistan." he started. "I was in the barracks, getting the status update from my commander. Then we were attacked. A group of Al Qaeda soldiers were launching a raid, and everyone was running to battle. I was running for the roof to take a sniper position, but when I got up there I saw that someone had beaten me there. An enemy soldier was prone on the edge of the roof, firing down. I snuck up behind him, and drew my pistol. But at first… I couldn't pull the trigger. He had no idea I was there. Then I was put in a choke hold, and I barely grabbed the hand of the man behind me to stop him from plunging a knife into my chest. The one on the ground turned around, and aimed his gun at me. I managed to throw the guy in front of me, using his body as a shield. He dropped dead from his buddy's fire, and I turned back around and shot the other one between the eyes. I had just killed two people, and the scariest part was I didn't even think about it. I went right to work, taking up my sniping position. I took down five men before the raid was over, the enemy defeated. Then I turned around to see the first two guys bleeding on the ground. I went numb, and I couldn't believe what I had done. I didn't sleep that night, or the next, and only slept the following night from exhaustion. It was all downhill from there, and over my seventeen years of service, I killed over two hundred people."

Elizabeth had to leave to go back into the RV as he told the story, but Sakura listened, captivated and worried. "And how many people have you killed in the apocalypse?" Alice asked.

"I don't know. I never kept count." Tristan answered. "But I changed. Back then, I killed to protect America and the rest of the world. To save the innocent. Now, I kill to punish. I go out of my way to make those who would hurt innocents suffer as I kill them. Maybe that's a good thing, probably not. But my point is most people don't enjoy killing. Nor should they."

Alice turned away, the numbness creeping back. Tristan placed a hand on her shoulder, and she turned to look at him again. "I'm not someone you should compare yourself to, Allie." He said. "Like I said, you're a good person. And what you're feeling… well, I wouldn't say it's normal, nothing in this kind of situation is normal. But it's expected. The fear and numbing, those are good things to feel. The proper ones."

Her eyes lowered. "We had church in the bunker." She said. "The pastor said… that taking life is a sin. And sinners…"

"Put that thought out of your mind." Tristan interrupted, anger creeping into his voice. "You're not a bad person, what you did was defensive. And there's nothing wrong with that. You're not going to be punished, here or anywhere else."

Sakura got up and walked over to the couch, wrapping her arms around Alice. "He's right, Allie. You don't have to worry about that."

"In fact, just the opposite." Denny chimed in. "You saved us.

Their words managed to draw a small smile out of the little girl. "Thank you." She whispered.

Tristan smiled at her. "Of course. We're always here for you."

"Tristan, watch the road!" Liz screamed from the back.

His head whipped forward, and he swerved the RV to slam the side into a guard rail. The old metal bent under the weight, and they started sliding down the icy slope. Determination set into his face as Sakura pulled Alice away from the front, turning the vehicle to face the bottom of the slope. He stomped on the brakes, turning the wheel to avoid any trees. They flattened a thorn bush, sending a zombie under the tires as it wandered into the path. Tristan grit his teeth, his knuckles white from gripping the wheel. A wet splat hit his ears as the windshield was suddenly covered in snow. Then thunks. "Hail!" he shouted. "I can't see!"

This was followed by multiple bumps and jumps as Tristan blindly tried avoiding the foliage. Liz shrieked, Sakura hugging Alice to her chest as she stared out of the side window in fear. Outside a heavy snowfall had started, cutting their visibility to only a few feet. She jerked as the RV scraped against a tree, then a sudden smoothness as Tristan pulled into a clearing. The tires kicked up the snow, their tracks almost immediately being replaced and filled by the snowfall. Tristan slowed to a stop, white stuff already piling onto the roof.

Tristan shakily let go of the wheel, then started laughing. Liz stalked over slapping the back of his head and knocking off the fedora. "How hard is it to pay attention the damn road?"

Tristan scowled, brushing off his hat and fitting it back on his head. "In case you haven't noticed there is ice _fucking everywhere_."

Liz was ready to retort when Sakura pointed out of the window. "Guys, look! I see a light! A cabin!"

"Great, more people." Tristan muttered. He frowned. "I hear… gunshots?" Then the silhouettes of a horde came through the snow. They spotted patches of crimson against the grey snow, along with corpses in the banks. "Whoever they are, they're in trouble, that horde is massive."

"Then we should leave while it's focused on them." Liz said, nudging Tristan in the back. "I suggest now."

"We can't just leave them!" Tristan retorted. "We're going in."

Liz sighed, face palming. "Tristan…"

Sakura interrupted again. "Guys… are those the Mustang and Impala?"

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John and Ella's eyes widened as Connor, Dani, and Tyson shot up from their sleep. Even through the snow they could recognize Ryan's customized vehicle. And now they could make out the figures on the porch. Connor bolted out of the vehicle with Sorano, not even grabbing guns as they raced through the storm. John and Ella were right behind them, shooting a couple zombies that had gotten too close, Dani and Tyson following.

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"Boomer, advancing on the left!" Jaina shouted over the wind as she shot a runner as it tried climbing over the railing. Ryan planted a bullet in its side, the creature's guts and bones splattering across the snow as it exploded. Alec decapitated a regular zombie as it crawled up the steps, shooting another one. Mike and Amber were providing cover fire from the back, Aaron standing watch over the back porch with a shotgun.

At first they didn't hear the cries, the people calling their names, but when Alec turned to cut off the head of someone crawling over the railing, he was instead pulled into a hug as Connor embraced his, sobbing violently into his shoulder. Sorano ran up the stairs, Amber in shock as she ran up and pulled her daughter into a hug. Ryan and Jaina's jaws dropped, John and Ella running through the snow with wide grins on their faces, Mike and Aaron whooping. Alec was trying calm Connor down, laughing as his boyfriend kissed him repeatedly.

They were all reminded of the situation when a runner screeched as it crawled over the railing. John buried his tomahawk in its skull, pulling it out to shoot another one. He turned to Ryan, words barely coming out of his mouth as everyone launched back into action. "I thought… you're… you were… the building…"

"We were in the basement!" Ryan shouted, shooting a spitter and grinning. "John, no one died! Tristan and the others are alive too! They just assumed everyone else was dead, just like you guys!"

John was grinning like an idiot despite him shooting another pair of zombies. "Well I'm really fucking glad to have you guys back!"

"Same here, but for now let's get through this alive, we can celebrate our reunion later!" Aaron shouted, shooting a trio of zombies that had come around back.

A tank roared, and they all paled as it charged through the snow. Ryan turned to yell at everyone to make a run for their vehicles, when they heard something they'd never been so happy to hear.

"IIIIIIIIII'M INDESTRUCTIBLE!" The RV flew out of nowhere, ramming into the tank and sending it flying into the trees. "DETERMINATION THAT IS INCORRUPTIBLE!" Sakura and Liz ran onto the porch with grenades and rifles, Alice following along with some young woman they didn't know. "FROM THE OTHER SIDE A TERROR TO BEHOLD!" Tristan stuck his head out of the window and fired a pistol as he ran down the herd, zombies turning into rotten flesh pancakes as he flattened them, laughing maniacally. "ANNIHILATION WILL BE UNAVOIDABLE! EVERY BROKEN ENEMY WILL KNOW, THAT THEIR OPPONENT HAD TO BE INVINCIBLE!" The tank roared, charging out of the trees. Tristan spun the RV around to meet it head on, flooring it as he matched its challenge. "TAKE A LAST LOOK AROUND WHILE YOU'RE ALIVE, I AM INDESTRUCTIBLE…." The tank crashed into the RV, clamping its meaty hands around the sides. Tristan climbed out of the window, drawing his sword as he stepped onto its massive arm. "MASTER OF WAR!" He plunged the sword through its eye, laughing as it screeched and let go of the RV. Diego was barking through the window, jumping back as Tristan climbed back in as zombie clawed at the sides.

Sakura was screaming as she, Amber, and Sorano all hugged each other, crying as Liz handed out grenades to the others. Alice drew her pistol and shot a zombie between the eyes, Jaina and John pulling the pins from grenades and tossing them into the herd. Tristan was doing donuts in the field, flattening any zombies that kept their interests on him.

John waved his arms to get everyone's attention, waving them out into the field. Renewed with the return of their friends, everyone charged into the storm, hacking and shooting their way to the RV as it was slowly overwhelmed. Tristan was at the door, slashing them apart with his katana as Diego tore apart any others that got near.

John, Ryan, and Sakura reached him first, John burying his tomahawk in the dead and using his brass knuckles against any that got too close, Ryan with his machete, and Sakura with her katana, fighting their way towards Tristan as zombies pushed him back into the RV. In the distance they heard the roar of another tank.

Once they were inside, they looked to the back to see Tristan grappling with a runner while shooting between its arms at the other zombies. Diego was closer to them, at the back of the small hoard, trying desperately to bite and tear his way to his friend. Ryan sliced through the neck of one zombie and buried his machete in the brain of another, while Sakura ran forward and impaled another one with her katana, unsheathing it from the corpse to decapitate another. John barreled his way through the zombies to smash the head of the runner attacking Tristan into the wall, blood splattering across one of his posters.

Together now, the five of them hacked their way back to the front until the vehicle was empty, running back out into the blizzard to join their friends. Ella was right by the door waiting for them, shooting her pistol as Corporal defended her. To Tristan's surprise, Liz was right out there with them, wielding a thick tree branch and swinging wildly at any zombies that got near her or the others, Denny beside her with a kitchen knife.

The twenty of them stood in a circle, a group of guns and blades, each defending the people next to them.

The tank they had heard ran into the field, snow covering its hunched back as it barreled towards them.

They all turned their guns to it, all firing at once. The tank fell face first in the snow, struggling to get back up. Ryan ran towards it as the others kept it down, bringing his blade down on its neck repeatedly. Slowly he began to penetrate its thick skin, blood showing and the green rotting flesh showing through. One more strike and he'd be able to jam his blade inside to sever its brain stem.

The tank roared, throwing an arm out, knocking Ryan into the snow. It flew into a rage, screeching as it stood back up and scooped the barely conscious Ryan up into its claw.

Tristan and Sakura had come forward, and both slashed at the beast's ankles at the same time. It stumbled, and Tristan hacked at its side, distracting it as Sakura got Ryan away from it. Jaina stumbled forward to take him back as Sakura returned to help Tristan, climbing onto the tank's back and raising her sword. With a cry, she shoved her blade through the opening Ryan had made, and the tank fell silent, landing face first in the snow.

The remaining scattered zombies were quickly dispatched, and for a moment the field had fallen silent, as everyone took a moment to process the last seven minutes.

Then the silence was broken as Alice cheered, crying as she ran to hug Sorano, everyone else following suit and hugging the person next to them. Everyone clamored to speak, trying to figure out what had happened and where everyone had been.

"Guys, GUYS!" Ryan spoke up. A hush fell over them as they all started to realize they were freezing and knee deep in snow. "Let's get inside, and light the fire before we all freeze to death, yeah?"

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"And so then this idiot tackles the tank…" Ella shot a look at John, who only rolled his eyes as she spoke. "…off of a cliff. Connor is barely able to grab him as he goes ever, and while he was rolling down the cliff he managed to get a gash in his chest. So we find this old gym, and I stitch up his wound."

Everyone was listening intently, most of them on the floor in blankets around the fireplace. Ella and John were sitting on a chair, Ella sitting in John's lap next to Tristan and Sakura, who were on the couch with Ryan and Jaina. "Then he wakes up…"

"And she slaps me and calls me a moron." John interjected, earning a glare from Ella. "Well, you did."

"So I leave the room as they're arguing." Connor adds, and Ella turned t glare at him. "What?"

"Can I please tell the story?" she asked, Connor putting his hands up and murmuring an apology. "Anyway, then he tells me he cares about me and kisses me."

"Then I get pushed." John interrupted, getting a kick to his leg.

"Shut up. Anyway, so then we talked and all that, and now…" she smiled, sliding her hand into John's, their fingers lacing together.

Tristan took a sip of wine. "So have you guys f…"

"Tristan, shut up." Sakura scolded. She turned to smile at them. "It's about time, though. I'm happy for you guys."

John smiled himself, then his smile fell. "So, how about you guys? What happened to David? Who's the new girl?"

A heavy silence fell over the room, Denny shifting in her seat by the fire uncomfortably. "We ran into Denny and another woman, Charlie." Tristan answered solemnly. "She wasn't… she had a few loose screws. No, a lot of them." Anger was creeping into his voice. "She seemed to think that she was still in the Old World, with her four kids. Who died. When she saw Alice and David, she thought they were two of her kids. She kidnapped David and took him to her old house, and she…" he couldn't finish the sentence, turning away and drinking the rest of his wine in one drink.

"She dressed him up like her daughter, and made sure he'd never leave." Sakura finished, hugging her knees and looking down.

Sorano covered her mouth in horror, tears stinging the eyes of everyone else around the room. Silence retook them, until John cleared his throat. "I'll miss him. I'm sure we all will." He looked at Ryan. "How about you? Where have you guys been?"

"When we got out of the basement, we saw that most of the vehicles were gone, and your corpses weren't around, so we knew you guys had left." Ryan explained. "So we decided to head for Walkerville, hoping that we'd meet you there."

Aaron walked into the room, carrying a box. "I think it's better that we met here, and on Christmas too!" He said cheerfully, setting the box down. "Since this is a vacation home, they had decorations for people coming here for a winter break. There's Christmas decorations!"

John raised an eyebrow. "It's Christmas?"

"Hell yeah it is!" Tristan cried, wrapping an arm around John's neck and pulling him in with him and Sakura, holding them both close to his own head. He was grinning ear to ear. "Merry Christmas everyone!"

"Merry Christmas." John grumbled. "Now let me go before I throw you out with Frosty the Snowman."

Tristan huffed, letting him go but keeping a red Sakura in the crook of his arm. "Party pooper."

Aaron took out a wreath, and Alice took it and hung it over the fireplace. Alec got off of his seat, which was Connor's lap, and reached inside and pulled out a red stick-on bow. He smirked, placing this in his pocket and taking out some garland.

John decided to just sit and watch as everyone gathered around to look at the decorations, scowling as Ella grabbed his arm and pulled him into the fray.

"Cheer up." She chirped, placing a finger on his nose. "Have some fun, it's Christmas."

She placed a box of Christmas lights in his hand, leading him to the stairwell. Tristan pawed through the box, then grinned as he pulled out mistletoe. "I think John needs a little push, no?" he asked, turning to a smirking Sakura.

John wove the lights through the railing, Ella feeding him the string so that it didn't get tangled. "Isn't this fun?" She asked as she stood close to him.

He tightened the string, plugging it into the wall. The multicolored lights switched on, at least most of them. Nearly half of them were burned out. Ella wrapped an arm around John, who in turn wrapped his own around her shoulders.

She flinched as she felt something hit the top of her head, then brush off and tap against John's cheek. They looked up to see mistletoe tied to a fishing pole. They followed the pole to see Tristan and Sakura grinning at them from the couch. "You know the rules, Johnny boy." Tristan teased.

John scowled, picking up the lights box and throwing it at Tristan, who let it bounce off his head as he continued to laugh.

"Come on John!" Sakura yelled, drawing the attention of everyone else.

Connor grinned. "Kiss the girl!"

John glanced at Ella, who was hiding her face in her hands in embarrassment. His eyes softened, and he pulled her hands away, staring into her shining emerald eyes. He cupped her cheek, pulling her into a kiss, ignoring the cheers that erupted through the cabin.

Tristan whooped, and John grabbed the mistletoe and chucked it between him and Sakura. Sakura blushed, glaring at Ella who made no effort to hide her smirk. Then she gasped as Tristan kissed her, laughing as he pulled away to pick up the mistletoe. He threw it at Ryan as Sakura placed a hand over her mouth, eyes wide.

Ryan caught it, glaring at Tristan. "Who do you expect me to kiss?"

Aaron was standing next to him, and cast a sideways glance at him. "Sorry, not my type." He muttered, chuckling to himself as Ryan rolled his eyes. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Jaina stand on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. "So that you don't have to be the only one who doesn't get one." She explained as he stared at her. She winked at him, returning to hanging the garland around the ceiling as he flushed red.

Soon enough he cabin had transformed from dreary and barely warm, to cheery and warm. Sakura started humming Silent Night, and the others joined in. John looked at Ella and started whistling, and she clapped, laughing.

"Silent night, holy night…" Tristan started singing.

"Don't go overboard." Sakura warned as he stood up. He smiled sheepishly, sitting back down. The fire was warming the whole room, and everyone sat back down, enjoying each other's company.

Mike offered his seat to Amber as she walked in from the bathroom. She looked at him, smirked, then pushed him back down into his seat, sliding in next to him. "I'm sorry for snapping at you before." She muttered. "I don't like relying on other people."

He smiled. "I understand."

Tyson watched them, sadness taking over his face. He felt Dani hug him, and ruffle his hair. "You'll find someone." She reassured him.

They glanced at the grandfather clock by the foot of the stairs, which read 11:58. "Merry Christmas everyone." Tristan said, smiling at the reunited family.

"Merry Christmas." They all replied in unison. Soon they departed for bed, John volunteering for first watch. Ella stayed with him, and Connor got up to head for one of the bed rooms. Alec stopped him, and he turned around to see Alec grinning playfully, placing the red bow he had taken on his forehead. "Merry Christmas. Your gift is me."

Connor laughed, kissing his boyfriend and leading him to the bedroom, closing and locking the door.

Tristan opted to sleep in the chair with Alice on the couch, Sakura hugging him goodnight as she headed for a bedroom with her mother and sister. Dani, Jaina, and Denny lead Elizabeth to another room, Mike and Tyson sharing another bedroom upstairs.

Aaron had already fallen asleep on the floor next to the fireplace, and Ryan decided to sleep in a chair, leaving the final bedroom for John and Ella when they went to bed. And after everyone was in bed, falling asleep, not a creature was stirring, not even an undead mouse.

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Very late Merry Christmas. And Happy Valentine's day! Review!


	39. A Happy Ending, Right?

The weather seemed to match their moods the following morning. The morning sun shone brightly through the windows of the cabin, the snowfall having covered the carnage from the previous night's battle. Now, the white snow sparkled in the sunlight, the sky cloudless and blue. Sakura smiled at the sight, she was glad that she was on guard duty for the sunrise. The sight of the sun illuminating the field of white was awe inspiring. She turned to her family, Amber having gotten cold in the night and moving from her bed to snuggle in with her and their mother. Her mother had her arm around Amber protectively as they slept. Sakura smiled, moving to wake them up. Today was the day they, hopefully, arrived at Walkerville.

Ella's face was buried into John's shoulder in their bed, her hair standing up in a mess as they she snored. He had his arm around her, resting his chin on her head as he let himself wake up slowly. After a while, her head started to cut off circulation in his arm. He flexed his fingers, God he hated that pins and needles feeling. He tried gently moving his arm out from under her, inwardly cursing as she grunted in her sleep and wrapped her hands around his arm.

Alice was already up, tracing her fingers along the frosty windows. Ice formed swirling patterns on the glass, unlike anything she had ever seen.

Denny had woken up early as well, walking downstairs to see Alice staring at the glass. "Do you know where that came from?" She asked softly, smiling as she traveled down the stairs. Alice shook her head, and Denny knelt down beside her. "My parents told me that a mythical man named Jack Frost comes in the night to leave beautiful pictures of ice in the windows of homes."

Alice smiled in awe at the icy patterns. "That's a cool story." She whispered, placing her hand on the glass.

"It's not just a story you know." Denny replied, getting up to rummage through the kitchen cabinets. "It's true."

Alice only offered a soft grunt in response, admiring the ice. Suddenly the door flew open, and Tristan walked in, tracking snow onto the carpet. "Jesus…" he chattered, sitting down in his chair. "I feel like Frosty the Snowman fucked me."

Denny cringed at the mental image. "Nice." She replied. "Why were you outside?"

"Trying to hunt." He muttered, unzipping his leather jacket. "No luck. I was keeping watch last night, but I figured we should get some more food so after my shift was over I headed out to try and find some."

"Shocking." Aaron grumbled, having been woken up by the chatter. "I could've told you that nothing was out there. All the animals are either hibernating or down south, and the plants are all dead."

"Piss off." Tristan retorted, shooting Aaron a glare before leaning back in the chair.

"Language." Sakura scolded as she walked down the stairs, Sorano and Amber tiredly following. "You shouldn't swear on Christmas."

Tristan grumbled. "Christmas can go…" he was cut off by Sakura slapping the back of his head, diving to catch his hat as it flew off of him. "Sorry, just in a bad mood. I didn't sleep well… or at all."

Sakura pat his head. "Cheer up. We'll be in a new, warm home by tonight."

Tristan watched her walk over to the kitchen, setting his hat back on his head before averting his eyes. "Yeah. New home." He muttered. "Alice, wake up Ryan."

She grinned, responding by running over to Ryan's chair and jumping into his lap. "Merry Christmas!" She shouted.

"GAH!" He cried, flailing his arms as the chair fell backwards. Alice shrieked as a loud crash resonated through the cabin. "Jesus!"

"Sorry…" Alice yelped, getting off of him. "I got excited."

"S'okay…" Ryan consoled, rubbing his head as he stood up. "Just startled me, that's all."

"That was more than just a startle." Jaina interrupted as she walked downstairs, Dani and Liz helping her down. "I thought one of the other girls screamed."

"Shut up!" Ryan said indignantly, standing up and brushing himself off.

Jaina snickered in response, punching him in the shoulder as she passed him. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Get the vehicles unburied, and drive to where Walkerville allegedly is." Tristan responded, leaning against the wall as the rest of the group came downstairs to congregate in the living room.

"Unburied?" John remarked. "You mean…"

"Yeah, leaving them all out in the snow wasn't such a good idea." Tristan grumbled. "We don't necessarily need to get them completely unburied, just to the back wheels. We can clear the snow away completely, but that won't matter if the wheels are just going to slip and slide on ice. If we can get some gravel or sand or something under the tires, it will give them some traction to get out. That's an old trick my dad taught me."

Ryan walked out of the living room to the closet as Liz raised a hand, clearing her throat. "Where exactly are we going to find sand or gravel?"

"That…" Ryan responded, walking into the living room carrying an armload of snow shovels, "…is a problem for the rest of you solve while we dig."

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Tristan, John, Sakura, Ryan, and Dani worked on getting the snow cleared while the rest of the group packed and tried to find something to substitute for gravel.

Ella was trying to pry off the cabinet doors while Sorano directed the others to get all the supplies packed. Jaina hobbled over to her, helping her get a door off. "Can I ask what you're doing?"

"We can break these down to splinters and use that to give the tires traction." She explained, tossing the wood into a pile of other wooden objects she had gathered. "Now, we need a hammer."

Jaina raised an eyebrow, shrugging and making her way down the hall to look for something to use. She kept one hand on the wall, limping her way to the garage in the back. When she walked inside, she sighed. The space wouldn't have fit the RV, but there was enough room for both the Impala and the Mustang.

She spotted a sledgehammer lying against the wall, and stepped towards it. As she took her first step off of the concrete steps, she started to wobble. She threw her arms forward as she fell, grimacing as her hands slide across the rough concrete, face planting into the stone as her bad leg twisted. She hissed, drawing her hands to her chest, the skin torn and bloody. "Mother…"

She felt two pairs of arms wrap around her, and she was hoisted up. Ella helped Jaina back into the cabin as she hung her head in shame, while Elizabeth went to grab the hammer. "Jaina, honey, you're not going to get better if you keep straining yourself."

"Don't patronize me." Jaina grumbled. "I'm fine, I just…"

"You're not fine." Ella interrupted angrily. "Personal health aside, you're not doing us any favors by hurting yourself. It'll take more supplies to help you heal, and it'll take longer if you keep this up."

"It's been two months now." Jaina argued. "I'm tired of just sitting on my ass!"

Ella sighed, helping Jaina sit as they reached the couch. "You had a pipe go through your leg. Shockingly, it's going to take a while to heal."

Jaina huffed, in response, leaning back into the cushions. "At least give me something to do."

Ella frowned, looking around the cabin. "You could… um…"

"Exactly." Jaina grumbled, turning away and leaning on the armrest. "Just go do whatever you need to do. I'll stay here."

"Promise?"

"Promise." The bitterness was not lost on Ella, but she accepted Jaina's words and set to work with the sledgehammer.

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Connor tossed aside a termite infested log as he rummaged around the basement. It was dark, damp, and smelled like a moldy corpse. He sighed, standing up and abandoning the crate he had been looking through. He gazed around the room, happening to glance out the single window near the ceiling. He raised an eyebrow as he spotted his boyfriend, sitting in the snow and looking out at something. He couldn't tell from his angle. He walked upstairs and outside, and saw that Alec was looking out over a small frozen pond. He knelt down beside him. "You okay?"

Alec sighed. "When Nathalie and I lived in New York, winter was one of our favorite times of the year." He gestured to the frozen water. "There was an ice rink at Rockefeller center. Every year, we would save up to go skating. It was a fair amount of money, but it was a tradition, and we loved it." He let out a laugh. "There was this… there was one year, a guy kept trying to hit on her at the tables, even though I kept trying to get him to piss off. So she told me to back off, and all cute-like she asked the guy to skate with her. She led him out to the ice, and then pantsed him, leaving him there while he struggled to stand back up on the ice cause she tripped him, but he kept slipping. I w-was dying… of laughter…" He had started laughing at the memory, Connor joining in at the description. After a minute he calmed down. "And every year, we'd still find a present for each other. We were barely scraping by, but I could find her a dress or a scarf at a thrift shop. I always put money away for her. And she… she always got me something. I don't know where she bought the stuff, or even if she did, but it was always something nice. A snow globe with the Statue of Liberty, a new jacket, a pair of boots after mine started to wear down, once she got me a Swiss army knife. This one, actually." Alec reached into his pocket, pulling out a red piece of plastic. "Knife, corkscrew, can opener, saw, even a little lock pick and tweezers." Connor glanced at his boyfriend, he was no longer smiling. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes. "This… will be the first year she's not with me."

Connor frowned, putting an arm around Alec's shoulders. An idea popped into his head. "Why don't you show me some of your moves? There were a few pairs of skates in the cabin, we could get you strapped in and you can put on a show!" To sell his idea, he stood up, dramatically spreading his arms as if he was advertising something. "Alec: Sexy boy on ice!"

Alec gave a half smile. "I don't know… wait, wouldn't you want to do it with me?"

Connor's grin faltered. "Ah… not really, no. I'd prefer to watch." he smiled nervously.

Alec grinned. "You don't know how, do you?" He didn't give Connor a chance to answer, grabbing his arm. "Let's go get those skates, I'm going to teach you."

Connor half-heartedly trotted along behind Alec as he was led to the cabins. "I-I really don't need…" Alec cut him off by pushing him through the door and taking him to the closet.

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John and Ella set to work spreading her woodchips under the tires as Tristan and Sakura worked on starting up the cars. Dani and Ryan started rounding everyone up so they could move out.

Sakura sat next to Tristan as he finally got the RV started up. "How old is this thing?"

"Eh… about nine years." He replied. "It belonged to a neighbor, when he got it he took his whole family on a summer road trip. Wouldn't shut up about how great it was for two months. He bought it used… I think two years before Z-Day. Anyway, I helped myself to it after I found him and his family turned and standing around in their yard."

Sakura's face fell as he told the story. "Geez."

He shrugged. "Wasn't anything new by that point. By then I'd put down my family, seen my squad die… An annoying neighbor wasn't very emotionally taxing compared to that."

The way he talked about it, as if it was nothing big concerned her. She let it drop though as John's voice came over their walkie talkie. "You guys ready to move out?"

"Copy that." Tristan responded, getting comfortable in the driver's seat. "Lead the way."

The Impala took the front of the convoy, Ella following the map Ryan had drawn up for her while John rode shotgun, Dani and Tyson in the back. As for Ryan, he had opted to sit in the back of the Mustang with Jaina while Elizabeth drove up front with Aaron. Jaina didn't acknowledge him or anyone else, just staring out of the side window grumpily. "Still pissed about your leg?"

"I'm useless like this." She growled. "I'm barely able to walk without help."

"Well, you're only human." He offered. "You need to let your body heal itself. I'd think that a Navy SEAL would know that a wounded soldier isn't going to be on the front lines."

"In the SEALS we trained to fight through the pain." She retorted.

"Then it's a good thing you're not in Iraq or whatever." Ryan replied, smirking. "You're in a comfortable leather seat, surrounded by friends willing to help you heal." She greeted his response with silence, and his smile fell. Then he remembered something. "Hey, while we're talking, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"Mm?" She hummed. "What would that be?"

"Well…" he thought back to almost three months ago, when he was fighting his father. "I'm sure you've noticed I'm not… combat trained." Curiosity peaked, Jaina turned to face him. "And, I figured… since you're a SEAL and all, you could train me, maybe?"

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Train you? How? I'm crippled."

"So? You could still teach me. Besides, John is impatient so I doubt that would end well." Ryan added. "And, imagining Tristan as a drill sergeant…"

Jaina cackled at the image. "I'd pay to see that." She smirked. "Alright, Mattson. Your training begins as soon as we settle into Walkerville."

"Sounds like a plan." Ryan agreed, holding up his hand for a high five.

"Did you just talk back to me, Mattson?!" she barked, making Ryan flinch.

He whipped his hand back. "N-No!"

She laughed again at his reaction. "Brace yourself, Ry. That's what's coming."

He laughed nervously, staring ahead now. _What have I gotten myself into?_ He wondered. He glanced back to see her smiling, and he instantly forgot about it. It was worth it to see her smiling again.

Meanwhile in the RV, Alec and Connor sat on the couch together, Sorano and Amber talking with Alice in the back. Sakura picked up the walkie talkie. "Hey guys, do we have any of that whiskey left in the Impala? We didn't have a proper celebratory drink last night."

John's voice crackled on. "If we do have any it'd be a miracle, Connor almost drank himself to death."

Alec glanced at Connor in worry. "Don't worry, I was just depressed." Connor assured him, smiling. "I'm fine."

"That must have been entertaining." Tristan commented, laughing. "Last time he got drunk he ended up sleeping with Alec."

"Funny you should say that…" John started, followed by an "OW!" Dani had punched him in the shoulder, hard.

Alec's eyes narrowed and he glanced back at the now pale Connor. Before he could stop him, Alec had shot up out of the seat and ran up front. He held out his hand, and Sakura handed him the walkie, confused. "Why is that funny, John?" Alec asked.

In the Impala, John went from angry to shocked as he realized why Dani had punched him. "Uh…" he glanced at Ella for help, but she just offered him a look that said _Nice going jackass._ "Well, I meant… it was funny because… he…"

Alec's knuckles turned white as he clenched the walkie in his fist. "He what?"

Connor walked up and snatched the walkie out of Alec's hands. "Just drive, guys." He sighed, a defeated expression. He turned to an expectant Alec, unable to look him in the eyes. "Look, Alec, I wasvery, _very_ drunk. And… so was she."

Alec's eyes widened, his jaw dropping. Silence filled the RV, until Tristan whispered to Sakura, "Think I should pull over?"

"Shut up." She hissed, trying not to look on as Connor stood terrified as Alec stared at him. Then they heard a _crack_ followed by a thump as Alec punched Connor in the jaw, sending him into the wall. Sakura rushed to get Alec in a hold as Connor stood back up, rubbing his jaw. "Okay, I deserved that…"

Alec managed to squirm out of Sakura's grip and pin Connor to the wall. "How could you?! And the fuck did you even sleep with?!"

"Well I doubt it was Sorano." Tristan commented, and Sakura slapped his head, causing the RV to swerve.

Connor braced himself for another hit. "D-Dani…"

Alec was trembling. He started to raise his hand again, then groaned, letting go of Connor and falling to his knees. "Why?"

"I thought you were dead!" Connor exclaimed, kneeling down with him. "And again, I _cannot_ express this enough, I was drunk! And I was missing you, and…"

"You missed me so you fucked Dani?" Alec said incredulously. "Astounding logic there, Con. You think any of that is an excuse?"

Connor hesitated. "Well, not an excuse, no… more like a reason?"

Sakura sighed, face palming as Connor dug his hole deeper and deeper. Over Alec's shoulder, she tried mouthing to him to just keep apologizing.

"Alec, can't we please just move past this?" Connor asked.

Alec glared at him as everyone collectively groaned. "Move… past this? Did you seriously just say that?"

Before Connor could say anything else Sakura grabbed him by the shoulder and led him to the back. "I think everyone should have some time to think, yes?"

"No need." Alec said darkly. "Next time we pull over I'm getting in the Mustang. I don't want to see his face until we get to Walkerville."

"But…" Connor protested. This time Amber clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't make this any worse than it is." She whispered. Reluctantly, Connor nodded, plopping onto the floor in defeat. Alec slid into the passenger seat next to Tristan, folding his arms and staring silently out the window. For nearly the rest of the trip an uncomfortable silence weighed down on everyone in the RV and Impala.

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As they got closer to their destination, they began seeing a rise in wildlife. Bears wandered in the trees, and surprisingly, there was a shortage of zombies. This was not lost on the group, and as Tristan drove everyone else began talking, hyping themselves up for what was coming. A place with little to no zombies around and no shortage of wildlife? Along with the size of the town and the walls, this was starting to look like…

"A paradise." Sakura said dreamily as she watched a family of deer scamper across the road.

"We said that about Jarod's." Tristan said pessimistically. "And we still don't know if it's even there."

"Oh come on, lighten up." She chided. "And I doubt there's going to be an underground ring of cannibals here."

"What about crazed scientists or zombie fights? I don't like that there's so few dead walking around." He countered.

"There's a sentence I'd never thought I'd hear." Alec muttered. "Tristan, relax. This place is just too big for any real threats to surface."

"Only takes one chance for the smallest threat to come to fruition." He muttered. His mood had drastically changed over the past two months. Aside from the previous night when they had all reunited, he was gloomy, and didn't joke around as often. Sakura furrowed her brow, and started to ask him what was going on when all three vehicles screeched to a halt.

A redheaded girl was standing in the road, a Hummer and Jeep filled with gun toting men and women behind her. She started towards the group, an unusually perky smile on her lips. Her red hair hung in a messy braid, an array of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She wore a fur jacket, jeans with several knives attached to them, and worn leather boots, with a green dress shirt underneath the jacket.

"She's even shorter than you, Jaina." Ryan commented, earning a glare.

Tristan, Sakura, John, Ella, and Ryan got out of the vehicles, forming a semicircle in front of their convoy as the girl approached them.

She halted in front of them, staring up at them with a bored expression. "Lemme guess, come for refuge at Walkerville?" she asked with a heavy accent.

Ryan smiled. "Are you Scottish?"

She glared at him. "I'm Irish, you ponce."

A "Ha!" came from Tristan as Ryan's smile faltered.

"In answer to your question…" Ella intervened. "Yes, we came for Walkerville."

"Ah, well I'm sorry guys. But we're not accepting new people right now. We're facing a bit of a supply shortage." The girl replied.

"You gotta be kidding me!" John cried in outrage. "Some of us died trying to get here!"

The girl's eyes softened. "Look, I understand. And I'm sorry you lost your mates. But it's not my decision. All I can do is offer you some supplies and send you on your way."

Sakura stepped forward. "There has to be some way we can get in." She pleaded. "Please. This was our only hope for a while now; we can't just turn away like that."

The redhead looked uncomfortable. "Well…"

"Gina…" one of the other women warned. "Jake wasn't happy about that last group you let in."

"Gina, was it?" Tristan spoke up, stepping forward next to Sakura. "I can understand your predicament. And we aren't a small group."

"That's not helping." Ryan hissed.

"But," he continued, ignoring Ryan. "We can carry our own weight. All we wanted was safe walls to live behind. And we all have something to offer."

"Anyone can make that argument." The other woman said angrily.

"Hold on, Rebecca." Gina silenced, holding up a hand. "I appreciate your input, but I'm the scout leader."

"But you're not in charge." She argued. "Jake was very clear about…"

"What part of shut up don't you understand?" Gina interrupted, gritting her teeth. She turned back to look up at the group. "Alright, what do you have to offer?"

Ella shoved Ryan forward. "He's an engineer, and he's been single handedly improving and repairing our rides, which probably would have died a long time ago if he wasn't an expert. And by extension, we might have died."

"Jaina is an ex-Navy SEAL." Sakura said. "And he's Delta Force." She added, slapping Tristan on the back.

"Delta Force?" Gina repeated, awestruck. "And a Navy SEAL? You'd be excellent additions to the scouts."

"Aaron was a lawyer." Tristan said. "John is an ex-wrestler, and he's one of our best fighters."

"Wrestler?" One guy said. "Like the WWE?"

"Not that fake shit." John huffed. "MMA and UFC."

Gina stared the five of them down, sizing them up. "Get in your vehicles, and follow me. I am _not_ making any promises, but I'm going to try." She smiled. "Gina Locke, by the way. Pleasure to meet you folk."

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They followed Gina's Jeep and Hummer the rest of the way. And as they turned around the final bend, they collectively gasped in awe.

Walkerville's walls were fifty feet high, topped with barbed wire and covered in spikes with guard towers, and with massive mechanical gates. These swung open to reveal a bustling town behind. Gina waved them forward, and they passed through the gates.

The sidewalks were filled with people, going about their lives and waving at the newcomers. The houses and stores were reminiscent of the Old World, though they were still slightly overgrown with vines and some windows were broken and bricks were cracked. But on the whole, it could have been a town in the Old World.

Gina led them to a garage, and after parking they followed her into one of the tallest buildings. "This is pretty much the City Hall." She explained as they walked. "Our leader, Jake, spends most of his time here, running the city. Ex-SEAL, like you lass." She added, winking at Jaina. "Along with him are our 'Officials.' I have my office here," she pointed at a glass door with her name spray painted in stencils across the front. "and Ethan is here, he's a historian and advisor to the Mayor." She stopped at another glass door, the name "Grant" stenciled across. "Grant is the head of security, and he's in charge of taking care of anyone who comes into our town. Be warned, Jake told him and me not to accept anyone, so he won't be happy to see you.

"Wait a minute…" John started. "Head of security named Grant?"

"Yeah, why?" Gina asked.

Tristan pushed ahead and opened the door, and inside, speaking with a man, was the familiar buzz cut and strong face. "Grant!"

The other man turned to look at them, annoyed, but Grant's eyes lit up. "No way…"

Ella ran in to hug him, Grant laughing as the group filed in to say hello to their old friend. Elizabeth gave him one of the strongest hugs. "I thought you took over the manor?"

"I did, but when we heard about this place, we loaded up our vehicles and made our way here." Grant said proudly. "Jake here was amazed I had led a group of that size here with no casualties, and he happened to be in need of a new head of security. Now, here I am!" He announced, grinning. "I can't believe I'm seeing you guys again, this is amazing!"

They were interrupted by a cough. The man Grant had been speaking too was tall and muscular, with kind brown eyes and a crew cut. He was wearing a safari shirt and slacks, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "I should probably be telling you guys that you can't stay, considering our shortage of supplies, Gina." He said with an English accent, staring at her. Gina only smirked back. He smiled. "But I'm going to assume Grant can vouch for you that you're all fine people and can pull your weight."

"Yessir." Grant responded, standing at attention. "These are the people that saved me from Harper and Jessie, the ones I told you about."

"Really?" Jake said, surprised. He grinned. "Pleasure to meet you all. I'm Jake, mayor of this fine town." His eyes wandered over the group, and landed on Jaina. "Jaina?"

She grinned. "Haven't seen you since the Week of Hell."

He laughed. "I'd take another tour in Iraq over that boot camp. Well, I'd say there's no need for interviews. Welcome to Walkerville. Unfortunately I have a rather busy schedule, so I'm going to leave the tour in the hands of Gina, assuming she's finished her trip outside the walls?"

"Gladly sir." She said, grinning.

Grant turned to them. "I'm busy as well, but I'll set up a hotel for you guys to stay. Tonight, we can have a little reunion party in the lobby. Say, 9:00?"

"Sounds terrific." Ella replied, smiling. "It's good to see you again, Grant."

As they left, she turned to them. "That… went a hell of a lot better than expected. I'm glad to have more decent people in this town. Now, on with the tour."

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The tour didn't take long, there was a residential area and a market area. All the people were friendly, and Gina showed them all the best restaurants and shops.

"For the first two months, new arrivals are taken care of. In that time they need to secure an apartment or house, get a job, and be on their way to making money." She looked over the group. "I'd imagine a fair number of you will want to join the security force. But right now we could definitely use a lawyer, teacher, and anyone with medical experience."

This excited the crew, and Gina ushered them into a market square. "Go ahead and look around. You'll all get a care package, but you get your starting money up front. 200 dollars each."

She passed this out to each group member. Alice didn't get any since she was underage, but Tristan let her look at his money. She'd never seen bills or coins before, there was never a need in the bunker or out there in the world. "Whoa…" she whispered.

Gina looked at her watch. "I gotta go, loves. But your hotel is right by the entrance where you came in. I'll set everything up for you. Just tell me who can room with who."

In the end Sakura was rooming with her family, Jaina was rooming with Ella, Liz, and Dani, Alec and Connor would be in a room, John would be with Ryan and Tristan, Aaron would get his own smaller room, Mike and Tyson would share a room.

They split up, wandering the market square. Ella dragged John off to look at some stalls, Alec going off on his own. Ryan spotted a parking garage, and beckoned for Jaina to follow him. "Might as well see if I can get a job early on." She grinned, limping after him.

Suddenly Ella ran in front of them, carrying a pair of wooden carved crutches. "John found a clinic, and we explained what happened." She offered the crutches to a grimacing Jaina. "Take. Them." She said. "You'll heal faster."

"I'm fine…" she started, before Ryan took the crutches and shoved them into her arms. "Ry!"

"How are you going to properly kick my ass in gear during training?" he asked, smirking. "Just take the damn things."

She grumbled, but accepted, fitting them under her arms. "This sucks." She muttered.

As they were walking around together, Sakura spotted a photo booth and grinned, dragging Tristan over. "I remember these…" she said excitedly, pushing aside the curtain. "They had one at my school's dances, I and my friends always hogged them up doing stupid crap."

He smiled, stepping in and inspecting it. "They're really trying to remake the Old World." He said, running his hand along the wall. "They completely rebuilt this thing you can see where it was damaged in the past. I wonder how many supplies it takes to keep this thing running."

"I don't think they'd do it if they couldn't afford it." She responded, sliding in. "Wanna take a picture?"

He nodded, sitting next to her and sliding one of his bills in the slot. She stuck out her tongue, him laughing before doing the same. "Let's do one nice one. For memories."

She nodded, smiling as he put an arm around her. The rest of the pictures they screwed around, and after walking out Tristan paid for two copies. "I'll be right back." He said, walking off. "There's something I saw earlier that I wanted to get."

"Don't spend it all!" Sakura called out. She wandered around for a while, looking at the shops. She was delighted to see a library. After about half an hour she glanced around at some jewelry, and spotted Tristan further down. He had handed a merchant a hundred and fifty, and was dropping something in his pocket. She ran over as the merchant pocketed the money. "Are you insane? How much do you have left?!"

"Ten, I think." Her jaw dropped. "Don't worry about me." He assured her. "It won't be a problem."

She narrowed her eyes, about to interrogate him more when John waved them over. "The reunion is in less than two hours, it's getting late. We should go get situated in our rooms."

"Is it really that late?" Sorano asked, looking up at the sky. Sure enough, the black of night stared back. Time had flown by. "Well, let's get going then!"

The group headed back, and it didn't take long to get into their rooms. Ryan finished unpacking early, and as he walked out of his room he spotted Alec heading up to the roof. He frowned. After he checked on Jaina, he would have to go see what he was up to.

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Ryan opened the door to the roof, and as he expected he saw Alec on the edge, feet dangling off the side as he stared at the night sky, the stars sparkling overhead. He sat down next to Alec, spotting a bottle of liquor in Alec's hands. It was only a fourth of the way empty. "The party is in an hour and a half. And there's going to be wine there, so I wouldn't get too drunk."

Alec shrugged, uncaring. He took another sip. "Probably not going. He's going to be there."

Ryan sighed. "You can't avoid him forever."

"Watch me." He replied.

"Alec…" he pleaded. "Look what he did was wrong. We all agree with that. But… I mean come on! You're Calec!"'

Alec rolled his eyes. "Tristan told you about that?"

"Yeah, and about Jella." Ryan laughed.

"Did he mention Raina?" Alec asked.

"What's that?"

"Nothing." Alec muttered. They sat in silence for a while, before Ryan made another push. "Come on, he's your first love." Ryan pushed. "Do you really want to leave things like this between you two? Bitter and barely able to look at each other?"

Alec swished the liquor in the bottle. "He's not." he muttered.

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Not what?"

"My first love." Alec muttered, taking another drink.

Ryan narrowed his eyes. "I thought you never dated anyone before." Alec nodded in confirmation. "So who…?"

Alec glanced at him pointedly. "One of the first guys to ever show me and my sister genuine kindness. A guy who's been there for me ever since we met. A friend I'd never hoped to have before." he answered.

Ryan's eyes widened. "Oh." was all he said. He averted his gaze, suddenly very interested in his shoes.

Alec looked back out at the night sky. "Fuck…" he cursed after a minute, putting his face in his free hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"N-no, no, it's fine." Ryan cut off, shifting uncomfortably. He coughed. "You, ah… you don't still…"

"I don't know what the hell I'm feeling." Alec answered, finally finishing off the bottle and tossing it behind him. "My boyfriend cheated on me and is talking like he did nothing wrong, and I just confessed my own wandering mind to the one other guy I like. I'm a damn hypocrite."

Ryan's heart was pounding, he had absolutely no idea how to respond in this situation. He took a shaky breath, awkward or not he wasn't going to leave his drunken friend on a rooftop. "You're not a hypocrite." he said after a minute. "You can't help how you feel, you can't be faulted for that. Besides, it's not like you've acted on it." he cast a sideways glance at Alec. "But… now understand I'm in no way condoning his actions, what Connor did was shitty, but hear me out. He thought that he had just watched you die. He came across an admittedly hot girl, offering herself to him. They were both drunk, his own emotions running wild, and he was probably desperate for a distraction. I know this sounds extremely fucked up, but he cheated on you because he loved you so much he couldn't get you out of his mind. In a twisted way, it's… sweet?" he ended.

Alec listened, turning Ryan's words over in his mind. Then he chuckled. "Cheated on me because he loved me." His chuckling gave way to laughter, and soon he was cackling, and Ryan grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over the side. "The weirdest thing is, that makes sense. Kind of." his laughter died down, and he sighed. "God, I can't get him out of my mind either." he leaned back, laying on the dirty rooftop.

Ryan smiled. "Then go to him. Look, obviously you can't just forget this. But you can move past it. Let the relationship heal. You two have a good thing going."

Alec smiled as Connor's face ran through his mind. "Yeah." he agreed. "We do, don't we?"

Ryan took his hand, helping him up. "Connor needs to work to make up for this. But he does deserve the chance. And you deserve a good, happy relationship. And Connor isn't the kind of guy to do this while thinking straight. This won't happen again."

Alec grinned, then his face fell. "I… Shit. Ryan, I told him I never want to see him again. I don't even know where the hell he is… And how can I go back to him?"

"He's in his apartment with John. Last I saw, he was reminiscing his memories of his times with you with John. He'll take you back." Ryan said, turning Alec around, making him face the stairs.

Alec turned back around, and hesitantly raised his arms. "It, uh, wouldn't weird you out if…"

Ryan smiled, hugging his friend. "Go." Alec nodded, taking off inside. Ryan smiled to himself, reaching for his walkie. "Hey John, can you meet me by our hotel room? Like, right now?"

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Connor lay on his bed, eyes bloodshot from crying. How could he have been so stupid? And then he had the nerve to actually claim that Alec should forgive him. He knew perfectly well that he would feel utterly betrayed were he in Alec's position.

He felt the door creak open, and turned to see, to his shock, Alec hesitantly step inside his room.

Connor shot up, and was suddenly very aware that his hair was a mess and he probably looked like crap. "A-Alec! Y-you're…"

He shut up as Alec slowly walked over to him, glaring at him. He looked up at his, he hoped, boyfriend in fear. Then Alec grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a rough kiss. Connor sat there in shock as Alec pulled away, still glaring at him, but with a smile on his face. "You have a lot to make up for."

A goofy grin spread across Connor's face. "A-anything!"

Alec sat down on the bed next to him, sighing and leaning his head against Connor. Connor in turn put an arm around Alec, pulling him close and nuzzling his head. "I was stupid. So, unbelievably stupid. And I had the gall to ask you to forgive me. I promise, I'll never betray you again."

"Damn right you won't." Alec muttered. "Connor, I'm not going to forget about this."

"I don't expect you to." Connor replied, rubbing his boyfriend's shoulders. "Frankly I'd be surprised to get off scot free."

"That being said," Alec continued, sitting back up to look at Connor head on. "I don't want us to end what we have. I love you, and I'm willing to work through this, to heal so that we can keep each other."

Connor grinned, taking Alec's hand. "I love you too, babe."

They both reddened, and Alec pulled Connor back into a kiss. "I know how you can start making it up to me." Alec whispered into the kiss. Connor's eyes widened in curiosity, and Alec placed his hands on Connor's chest, pushing him back onto the mattress and gripping his belt.

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Alec and Connor showed up late to the gathering. Ella was ready to scold them, but John hushed her as they walked in. "They were busy." He whispered, and Ella's eyes widened. "Oh."

Grant had had the hotel lobby had been cleared, so they had the area to themselves. As they sat and laughed, they reminisced about their adventures.

"I think that one of my favorite memories so far," Ryan announced, "is that time we woke up and found hung over gay lovers in the back of Wade's truck."

"Shut up." Connor muttered, Alec laughing. He grinned. "How about John literally tackling a tank off of a cliff? That's some MMA wrestling right there."

"Say, what was your stage name?" Ella asked. "I never found that out."

"Eh, it's not important." John replied. "Ella, did you ever tell us what you did in the Old World?"

"I was finishing up college. What was your name?" She answered, drawing the conversation back.

"John 'Jedi' Nilsson." Connor answered, laughing. "Huge Star Wars nerd, and he was an expert at countering his opponents' moves, like he had the Force."

"Connor!" John said angrily. Ella made no attempt to hide her giggle. "It's cute." She cooed.

"It's MMA, it's not supposed to be cute." Aaron commented, high fiving Ryan as he laughed.

As they teased John, he waved his hand to shush them as he stood up, holding up his glass. "This is a miracle, an answered prayer. This town is a blessing on its own, but a little over twenty four hours ago, we all thought that we were dead. And I am thrilled that we were reunited at such an opportune moment. Here's to a new life!"

As everyone cheered at the toast, Ella standing up to kiss John on the cheek, Tristan swished his wine glass. "Good a time as any." He muttered, downing the rest of his wine. He rose to his feet, clearing his throat. Everyone fell silent. For a moment, he didn't say anything. This was way too difficult. "Guys…" he said finally. "You all… mean so much to me. I felt like a husk before I met all of you. And in the time I've spent with you, I've felt alive again." They smiled at his words. "Which is why it pains me to say… I'm leaving."

That killed the mood. Everyone's faces turned to ones of shock. "Leaving?" Ella repeated.

He nodded. "I'll admit, part of me was hoping that Walkerville wouldn't be here. But, you'll all be safe here. And I see that this will be a good home. And so, it's time for me to go on my way. I've said before I can't stay in a town. I'm heading back outside tomorrow. And… and I won't be coming back."

Alice stood up and walked over, standing next to him. "And I'm going with him." She added. Elizabeth stood up in objection, but it was Alice who shushed her. "He told me to stay. But I want to go with him. And I actually had to convince him to let me come along."

"Allie, honey…" Elizabeth started.

"I'm not a child." She said somberly. "It's my choice."

Diego sat on the other side of Tristan, the three of them looking at the rest of the group, waiting for their response to the news.

John sighed, standing up and walking over to clap Tristan on the back. "Pretty clear there's no convincing you otherwise. But know that you're a part of this family. And we'll never forget you."

Tristan smiled tiredly. "Thank you. And I'll never forget you guys either."

Ryan got up to give him a fist bump. "Good luck out there, all three of you."

Ella and Jaina walked over to give him hugs, Corp licking Diego. They all took turns getting up to say goodbye to him, Grant adding that it was a shame he was leaving so soon after their reunion. "I'll miss you too, Shepard." Tristan replied. Grant rolled his eyes, everyone laughing. Even Aaron got up to give him a firm handshake. "I hate to admit it, but you've made the past six months of my life… memorable."

Tristan grinned, clapping Aaron on the back and making his glasses slide down his nose. "I'll miss you too, Aaron."

Alice smiled, and started hugging each member of the group, saying goodbye. After she hugged John, he looked at Tristan. "So we say our final goodbyes tomorrow?" he asked. "Before you leave?"

"Mmhm." Tristan confirmed, nodding as he leaned against the wall.

As Alice passed out hugs, Sakura wandered over to where Tristan was standing in the corner. During and after his speech, she hadn't moved or said a single word. She beckoned him with her finger, and he followed her out of the room. She was silent as she led him upstairs, and to her room that she was sharing with her mother and sister. Tristan began feeling hot, and hesitated as he followed her into the room. "Uh… what exactly is going on here?"

She sat down on the edge of the bed, not looking at him. She folded her arms, and Tristan noticed she was crying. He rushed to sit next to her. He started to out his arm around her. "Hey, listen…"

She slapped his hand away, glaring up at him. "Do you ever think about how your actions affect those around you?"

 _Ah shit._ "Sakura…" he started.

"Shut up! Just… shut up and listen. What you're doing is selfish!" She shouted, standing up and briskly walking to the wall. She took a deep, shuddering breath before turning around to face him. "We all care about you. No one said it, but you leaving is going to devastate us. Imagine how you would feel if John, or Ella, or Ryan, or any of the others announced they were just going to leave because they didn't like where we were staying!"

"You know that's not why I'm leaving." He defended.

"Oh, of course." She said mockingly. "How could I forget your noble cause? Surely, no one on the outside is capable of surviving without the shining knight Tristan coming in to save them!"

He clenched his fists. "You're all safe here." He growled. "You won't need help. But there are so many out there that I can help. I can't save everybody, I know, but even if I save one other life, it will be worth it. Can you imagine what would have happened if I hadn't been there when Alice and David were trapped in their bunker? Or if I hadn't been there to shelter you and Aaron when you were at your most vulnerable? Or if Ella had been alone when she was shot in the leg? Can you imagine how many people are out there barely surviving? It only takes one mistake or unlucky event to kill someone. I'm a soldier, Sakura. I made a vow long before this apocalypse to protect."

"You're not a superhero!" Sakura yelled, tears running down her face. "You have a family here, and once you leave we'll spend every day wondering whether or not you're alive or dead!"

"Then forget about me." He said simply. "I'm not worth spending your days crying over."

Her jaw dropped. "H-How can you say that? How can you believe that we're capable of forgetting you? What the hell is wrong with you? Are you going to forget us?!"

"Never." He said solemnly. "I could never…"

"Then how the fuck are we supposed to forget about you?! You're not just some guy we stayed with for the better part of six months with for protection." She walked over to him, until their chests were touching. "You're our brother. Our friend. Our family. Whether you think so or not, you've cemented yourself in our memories. You leaving us like this… it's almost the same as you dying. Can't you see how painful this will be?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Sakura, I… I know that it will be painful. You think the thought of leaving isn't just as heartbreaking for me? But I have to. You'll all move on. You're talking like I'm some kind of pillar for the group."

"You are." She replied. "We all are. We support each other, and when one pillar falls, it puts a strain on the others." He wasn't listening to her, he sighed and removed his hands. "God damnit think about someone besides yourself!"

His face twisted in rage. "I am!"

"No, you're not! You're thinking about _your_ wants, _your_ feelings, _your_ insane self-assigned mission!" She poked him in the chest with each point, pushing him back against the edge of the bed. The tears were returning, and she wrapped her arms around him. "We can't… I can't think of life without you in it."

His heart felt like it was going to burst. He had to leave, he didn't know how to handle this. He gently pushed her aside, making a line to the door. She was trembling again, and before she could stop herself, she had raced in front of him and blocked his exit. "We're not done here."

He actually smirked, not stopping. He reached out to move her, and her foot shot out and kicked him back. Shock registered across his face before she moved to pin him to the bed. He scowled, grabbing one of her arms and blocking the other one from shoving him. She moved her foot behind his leg, turning it and drawing back in, forcing him to the floor. She got him in a headlock. "You can't just walk out on me, on us! You don't get to decide on your own what happens in the group."

"So what?" He choked out. "You're just going to hold me in a headlock forever?"

"I'm going to make you see what you're doing to m… to us!"

"Why are you doing this?! I've never seen you act this way!"

" _Well it's your fault I'm like this!_ "

He let out a growl, standing up and forcing her away from him. He twisted around, stepping on her foot, hard. Her grip came loose, and he slipped out of the hold, moving into a defensive stance. She was fuming, and now she tackled him to the floor, and with great effort pinned his arms down. Her chest was heaving, he was glaring up at her. She leaned in, intending to yell at him some more. But instead she found herself pressing her lips against his own. His eyes widened in surprise, and he stopped struggling. She moved her hands from his arms to cup his face as she kissed him, closing her eyes.

She felt his heart beating rapidly, and she felt his arms wrap around her body. They stayed like that for… she didn't know. All she could think of was his warmth, the scent of the leather, his rough lips against her soft ones. And all he could think about was her in his arms, her smoldering touch, and her lips burning his as they embraced. He'd wanted this for so long, they both had. And now they thought back to all the hints, all the touches and flirts. All the times they could have started this. All the lost time, because they were so dense that they couldn't see what was in front of them. And it made it all the more painful.

She was the one to pull away, and there was a loud gasp as they both sucked in air. Her hair was falling in strands past her face as she stared down at him. Neither of them knew what to say, and she slowly got off of him, her mouth felt like it was on fire. Her cheeks felt hot, and she covered her face as he sat up, unsure of what to do. She peeked through her hands to see him reach out and hug her. She felt herself tearing up again, and hugged him back as she sobbed. She felt something wet brush across her neck, and she realized he was crying too. "I'm sorry." He choked out. He pulled away, and this time she made no move to stop him as he stumbled out of the room. Sakura's mind was completely void of thought. She sat there on the floor, crying, and she briefly felt Ella and Jaina come in and help her into the bed. They tried asking her what happened, but she wasn't able to form any words.

As Tristan made his way to his room, he passed John and Ryan in the hall. They noticed his red face and heaving shoulders. "Dude? What's wrong?" Ryan asked. He ignored them, and John made a face as he ushered Ryan on. "I don't know, but let's give him some space. Something probably happened with Sakura."

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The next morning, Sakura was gently woken by her mother's kiss. "Come on, honey. We should get down before he leaves."

She nodded, rising out from beneath the covers and following her mother outside. She hadn't bothered to shed her gear, so she was already dressed. As they walked down the stairs, her mind raced with the previous night's events crashing into each other. This would be one of the most painful experiences of her life, she was already feeling like her heart was on fire.

The group had gathered outside by the gate, and it took Sakura a moment to realize that the RV wasn't in sight. They were trying to figure out what was going on, when a man approached them. He looked uncomfortable, and Sakura recognized him as one of the gate men. "What's going on?"

The man didn't meet her eyes, or anyone's. "He… wanted me to give this to all of you." As he spoke, he drew a folded piece of paper from his coat.

Sakura snatched the paper out of the gate man's hands, Ella needing to pull it down a bit from her face so they could all read. The writing was obviously rushed, like it had been written in under a minute.

 _My friends,_

 _I'm sorry, but it's too much. I love you all, but I couldn't make myself say goodbye. I'm already long gone, and I hope you'll all find the happiness you deserve here. I'll never forget our journey, and I'll never forget you, any of you. And honestly I think it's better this way. The pain of saying goodbye at the party was too much on its own, I couldn't handle it again._

 _Goodbye. Tristan and Alice._

Sakura's eyes teared up as Ella's jaw dropped. Amber was trembling. "That selfish bastard!"

John scratched behind his head. "Well, I can see where he was coming from. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who's good at goodbyes."

"That's not an excuse!" Ella argued. "How could he just up and leave in the dead of night without saying goodbye?!"

"He did say goodbye though. That's probably why he insisted on saying goodbye last night, because this would be too hard." Ryan defended. "I'll admit, I was reluctant to come down here this morning because I didn't think I could handle it."

As Amber argued with John and Ryan, Ella put a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Sakura's shoulders trembled. Her lips began to burn again, and she dropped the paper onto the sidewalk as she raised her hands to her face. Ella tried pulling her in, but she wrenched away, walking back into the hotel.

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In the dead of night, Alice sat in the RV, petting Diego while Tristan talked with the gate guard. She was torn, she didn't want to leave the others. But she didn't want to leave Tristan on his own either. In truth, it had only taken her a second to decide where she was going when Tristan told her what he was doing.

"You can't make an exception?" Tristan asked.

"I'm sorry, but unless we're letting someone in who's being chased, we can't open the doors at night." The gateman said. "Besides, weren't you guys leaving in the morning?"

"There's… been a change." Tristan muttered. "Look, we… I can't do it. I can't say goodbye, but I can't stay either. That's why I want you to give them the message."

The gateman sighed, and took out a pad of paper from his post. "Alright, tell you what. I can't open the front gate, but… there's a garage that we keep our raid trucks in a few blocks away. It opens to the other side, take this note and ask for Harold."

Tristan took the paper gratefully, sticking it in his front pocket. "Thank you."

As he turned to walk away, the gateman spoke up. "You're not the first one to do this. I want you to know, it's never a good idea to run from your problems."

Tristan halted at this, but only for a moment before resuming his return to the RV. As he started it up and headed for the garage, Alice sat next to him. "You're sure you don't want to stay?"

"I'm sure." He said somberly. "Are you sure you want to go?"

She smiled up at him. "We're partners. I go where you go."

He smiled back at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. In fact, he looked more exhausted than she'd ever seen him. This was really happening. As they arrived at the garage, Tristan handing off the note and going out the back, Alice got up and moved to the back. They drove around to where the front gate was, and headed off down the road. Alice pressed her hands against the glass, watching as the community they had worked so hard to get to became smaller and smaller as they drove away.

As he drove away, Alice staring out the back window, Diego's head in his lap, Tristan took out the two silver lockets he wore, opening them to the photos inside. One with his family, and the other of Daniel. He stared at the latter with intensity in his eyes. Not seven months ago, he would look at this photo and feel all the pain and rage of Z–Day come rushing back to him. But lately, he could bear to look at it. In fact, now he felt… nothing. He had been terrified of what this meant, but now he understood. He yanked it away from him, the chain snapping. Diego's ears pricked as he watched Tristan open the glove box and set the locket inside, shutting the door. "Don't wait for me." He whispered. Now he reached inside his jacket, pulling out a golden locket, the one he had gotten just the previous day. A contrast to the silver ones, he opened it. And Sakura's bright eyes and pearly smile stared back at him, his own genuine smile next to hers. He clutched it in his fist, removing his hat and looping it around his neck. He felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his chest, and as he replaced his hat he felt the sting of tears in the corner of his eyes.


	40. Title that I will change later

"You're holding it too low. I can easily get around that guard." Alice sighed, adjusting her grip. Tristan walked around her, inspecting her stance. She had been standing here in the middle of a parking lot holding a wooden toy sword for nearly twenty minutes, and the sword was getting heavier and heavier. Tristan moved back in front of her, picking up his own wooden sword from where he had left it against an abandoned car. "Come on, Allie. You were doing really well yesterday."

"Sorry." She muttered. "I'm just exhausted. We've been walking around this city for hours, I just want to rest for a bit."

Tristan pursed his lips, glancing around. They'd arrived in this city two days ago, and the two of them had been scrounging for supplies. After coming across a dojo, he had gone in and grabbed a pair of wooden swords. For the past week they'd been practicing with sticks. "I suppose we could take a break." He whistled, and Diego ran over from where he'd been guarding and watching. Alice walked inside the RV, sighing and plopping down on the couch. Tristan sat next to her, handing her a bottle of brownish water. She grimaced as she unscrewed the cap. "Don't worry, I treated it." He assured her.

"Doesn't make it any less gross." She replied, chugging the water quickly. They sat in silence for a while, staring at the wall as they rested. "How am I doing?"

"I wouldn't trust you with a full sword quite yet, but you're improving." He answered, smiling at her. "We'll keep practicing. But you're definitely getting better."

She smiled at his praise. "Where did you learn?"

"When I was younger." He answered. "When I was ten I joined a karate class, and that was part of the lessons. Once I got to high school I dropped it to focus on my studies and workout, but I kept practicing my swordplay, cause that interested me. Actually came in handy a couple of times in my service."

"Sounds like fun." Alice said. She started laughing, and Tristan looked at her. "I was just imagining you as a ten year old."

He grinned. "That was an interesting time, to say the least." He grunted as he sat up, getting to his feet and grabbing the wooden swords. "Here, keep it on you. It's a good bashing weapon at the very least."

She nodded, taking it. She frowned, glancing around. "I uh… don't have a sheath."

Tristan took the sword, taking it outside. He glanced around, smiling and walking over to a zombie. Alice watched in passive interest as he put a bullet in its head, cutting away a strip from the jacket it was wearing. He tied it into a sash, with a pair of loops on the back. He walked over and looped it over her head, letting her adjust her backpack to accommodate it. "Slide it through the loops in the back. The guard should keep it from sliding out."

She nodded, following his directions. The improvised sash was white against her black jacket and pants, and she admired herself in the window of a nearby car. "Cool." She said, smirking and folding her arms.

"An important part of surviving out here is looking dangerous and good." Tristan said sagely. She laughed and he joined in. "Not really, but your outfit is looking good. You're finding your style." He looked behind them at the descending sun as Alice continued to look at herself. "I'd say we have a good hour left before sunset. Let's head down to the riverbank and see if we can't catch anything."

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While Tristan tried in vain to gather fish in the net they had, Alice entertained herself by kicking a ratty baseball that was lying around. Diego began fetching it and bringing it back for her to kick again. He dropped it at her feet, sitting back expectantly. She smirked, taking a few steps back before running forward and kicking the ball as hard as she could. It soared through the air, Diego racing after it as it flew into a parking lot on the other side of the street. He scrabbled at a fence, and Alice ran over. "Hang on, I'll get it." She said, starting to climb over the rusty fence.

Diego barked, drawing Tristan's attention. "Allie, be careful!" He called out, abandoning the net to run over. As he reached the fence, Alice dropped down on the other side. "Alice, there's a lot of cars in there, not a lot of visibility."

"I'll be careful." She promised, wandering around the cars to look for the ball. She saw it under a convertible, and started climbing under it to grab it. She heard a gunshot, and she banged her head on the underside of the car as she scrambled out. A zombie fell dead a few yards away, Tristan sticking the barrel of his gun through the fence. "Alice, get back here now. We can find another ball."

She nodded, running for the fence. Her eyes widened as she saw a zombie wander around the corner behind Tristan. He and Diego were too preoccupied covering her to notice. "Behind you!"

Tristan spun around, drawing his sword and cutting into the throat of the zombie in one fluid motion. Snarls and moans reached their ears as a horde began to form. His gun had drawn them out. A runner appeared between Alice and the fence, screeching as it ran full speed at her. She whimpered, dodging to the side as it grabbed for her. A spitter came up behind her, a guttural sound emanating from its throat. She dove between its legs as it spat, kicking out its knees as she drew her pistol. She placed a bullet in its head as the runner tripped over it, and she took the opportunity to run in the opposite direction. Another one wandered in front of her, and she punched it in the gut, bringing it down to jab her knife through its eye. She climbed on top of a car to try and find Tristan, and her jaw dropped.

The other side of the fence was swarming; they had severely underestimated the amount of dead lurking in the surrounding buildings. Tristan and Diego were fighting their way to the edge of the horde, zombies throwing themselves at the duo. A runner tackled Tristan, and he was barely able to twist around and snap its neck before it sank its teeth into his neck. Free, he and Diego cut through to the other side and ran for the river. He spotted her on the car, and made gestures to run. She got his message, _Run, I'll find you_. She started breathing heavily, and she had to take a moment to catch her breath. She slid off, clutching her chest. She didn't know why she was panicking now, but she'd have to sort these feelings out later. Right now she knew that she needed to run. The dead had lost interest in Tristan and Diego as the two waded through the water, and were now trying to get past the fence. She took off through the parking lot, weaving in and out through the cars as dead fingers reached for her.

She could swear she'd been running for a full hour before she escaped the lot, running down the streets as the horde followed. She felt tears sting her eyes, she couldn't run forever, she was already getting slower. She spotted a toy store, and an idea sprang into her mind. She ran towards it as the first zombie came around the corner, taking a quick survey of the contents of the store. As she'd hoped, there was a bike lying in the wreckage. She vaulted through the smashed window, grabbing the bike and wheeling it outside. Tristan had given her very brief lessons; she hoped that they'd be enough. She got on as a runner closed the distance, and pedaled. She started slow, but picked up speed as she huffed through the burning pain. The runner had almost locked her hair in its grasp before she started getting away from it, moving much faster now.

Adrenaline alone kept her going for almost three miles, taking her out of the city and moving into a smaller town and the suburbs, woods surrounding the area. The danger was long behind her, but she kept going until finally the pain broke through, and all of a sudden she toppled off of the bike, chest heaving and her groaning as she wrtihed on the ground. Her legs felt like they were on fire, her backpack felt like it was filled with bricks, and her heart was beating a mile a minute.

She lay there, she didn't know how long. Night had already fallen, and distant groaning reached her ears. She struggled to her feet, rubbing her legs as she stood up to observe her surroundings. She was on a sidewalk, and along the main road was a school, a pharmacy, a bar, a grocery store, and a dozen other little shops. She spotted a gun store and started towards it. All the weapons were in the RV, all she had on her were the wooden sword, her pistol, and a single spare clip of rounds. She also had a knife hidden in her boot, but that was in case she was caught without her weapons.

She pushed open the door, and cursed when she saw the empty shelves. Of course it was looted. Still, no harm in looking around. It was one aisle-free area, all the guns would have been on one side where stands were nailed to the wall, ammunition on the other. The register was along the back wall. She perused the rummaged ammo shelves, it was all emptied boxes and a few loose bullets. She picked a smaller one up, inspecting it. It didn't look like the ones she used in her gun. She'd have to get Tristan to teach her about the different kinds of ammo.

Her eyes lit up as she spotted one unopened box. She grabbed it, shaking the bullets out into her hand. They were the same size as hers, so that must mean that they would work. She pocketed these, grabbing some empty clips that looked like they would fit. She did a quick glance around the other walls, grabbing a heavy looking pistol and another box of rounds she found by the register that matched the ammo size number listed under the weapon.

As she exited the store, the gravity of her situation began to weigh on her. She was alone, in an unknown area, and there was almost no way for Tristan to find her unless she found a way to signal him, or vise versa. And when was the last time she had been completely on her own? Never, as long as she could remember she'd always had someone with her. And now she was left to fend for herself.

She took a shuddering breath, steeling herself as she wandered over to the pharmacy. She could do this. She'd been learning how to survive for almost eight months now. Watching the others, listening to their instructions. And now she had the chance to put all she'd learned to the test.

She stopped outside the store, looking around. Boarded up windows, she might be able to break through. She didn't want to walk through the dark alley to the back. She picked up the bike she had been riding, and threw it through the boards. The old wood splintered and gave way, making an opening large enough for her to climb through. After she was inside, she walked over to a shelf and tried pushing it. It creaked and budged, and she smiled. She started pushing as hard as she could, slowly getting the shelf in front of the hole she had made. She fell to her knees, safe inside now. Her limbs felt like noodles, and the noodles were on fire. Between the pedaling, the pushing, and the stress, she was feeling sick. She felt something rise in her throat, and she got to her feet, swallowing. She stumbled around the shelves. The place was well stocked, untouched by looters. She looked for some kind of medicine to help her stomach, pushing aside bottles as she looked at the labels. She found a dirty bottle of tums on the floor, and took out one to swallow. She coughed, the vitamin was as hard as a rock.

She heard a door creak open, and she scrambled around the corner to hide. She found a nook between two shelves, wedging herself inside. She held her breath as a man walked into her view, short and stocky and wearing a hoodie and bullet proof vest, inspecting the smashed wood. "Someone's in here." he called out. "The boards are broken!"

In response, two more men entered her view. All three were sporting shotguns and machetes. One of them had a long beard hanging out from under his riot gear visor, the last one seemed almost freakishly tall, and was wearing a tactical vest and bomber jacket. "Come out now and we might let you live!" the bearded one shouted out.

She silently slid out of her nook, crawling down a side aisle out of their viewing area. Whether these guys were bandits or just angry, she didn't care to stick around to find out. She grabbed a couple bottles that she could use, making her way to the back. She spotted an open door leading behind the counter, and she peeked through this. She didn't want to walk into any friends of theirs that had stayed back. Seeing that the coast was clear, she stayed crouched down as she wandered the back, looking for an exit. She heard the counter door close, and she hid behind a crate full of cans of food and ammunition. Beard had come back here, and was looking around corners. "They haven't left through the back yet, we would have heard the alarm."

Shorty walked back. "Are you sure? We just got back, they could be long gone."

"We were only gone twenty minutes, and they wouldn't have pushed that shelf in front of their hole if they didn't intend to stay." Beard responded. He was getting dangerously close to the crate she was hiding behind. She shakingly drew her pistol, getting ready to fight. Beard was almost in front of the crate, she would be discovered in just a few seconds. Might as well get the jump on them.

She leapt out from behind the crate, shouting as she aimed her gun. Shorty screamed, falling on his ass before crawling away. Beard was too stunned to move, and Alice used the opportunity to get in a better position to fire. Now if he moved she would undoubtedly hit him. For a moment they stood in a standoff, Beard raising his hands above his head. Tall guy ran back to see Shorty hunched over in the corner and Beard with his hands in the air, Alice with her gun trained unwaveringly on him. "I-I don't want any trouble." she said, her voice cracking. "I just wanted some medicine and to leave."

Beard narrowed his eyes behind his visor, Tall guy snarling. "Those are ours."

"Well I'm taking them." Alice retorted, glaring right back at him. "Make one move towards me and Beard gets it." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shorty try to move behind her, and she pulled out the wooden sword. "You too, Lollipop guild."

Beard burst out laughing at this, holding his gut, Tall guy holding back a smirk as Shorty glared at them. "This girl has guts." Beard said between chuckles. He lowered his hands, folding them. "Alright kid. Exit is right there. Push the button before you leave or you'll set off an alarm." He gestured behind her, and she glanced quickly to see the door. She moved towards it, keeping her gun trained on the still smirking Beard. She looked around behind her, looking for a button. "There's no…"

She turned in time to duck as Beard was reaching for her. She kicked out at his crotch, Shorty coming up behind him. She swung the wooden sword, connecting solidly with his temple. She felt the shock travel up her arm as he crumpled on top of Beard, Tall drawing his machete as he stalked towards her. Beard grabbed her ankle from the ground where he had fallen, and she lifted up her other foot to bring it down hard on his skull. His chin bounced off of the floor, and as he let go of her ankle she ducked to avoid Tall guy's swing. She started to raise her pistol as he started to swing again, when Beard rose up to tackle her in a bear hug-like hold. She squirmed in his vise, Tall grabbing her legs and holding her still. Shorty had risen up, and was trying to stand up without wobbling. "Little cunt." he hissed, drawing his knife.

"Save the dramatics, Gary." Beard said,tightening his grip. "Grab her backpack."

Gary growled, sheathing his knife and being none too gentle as he wrestled Alice's backpack off of her. He dumped the contents onto the floor, rummaging around. "Flashlight, a lighter, batteries, the medicine she took," he pocketed this. "a clip for that pistol, a granola bar, old empty water bottle, and a drawing." He held it up, smirking. "Some guy in a hat and a dog. The hell is this?"

She glared at him. "Stop going through my stuff! Let me go!"

"Can it, kid." Beard ordered. "Take the batteries and her gun. Leave the other stuff."

Gary did as he was told, grabbing her gun from the floor and putting the other items back into her bag. He crumpled up the drawing before dropping it in, tossing the bag into the corner. "Now what?"

Beard nodded to Tall guy, and at the same time they let her drop to the floor, her head bouncing on the tile. "Scram, and don't ever let me see your face again."

She didn't answer, slowly getting up. Her knees wobbled, and she fell down again. Beard scowled, then noticed how red and sweaty she was. "The hell have you been doing, kid?"

"Biking." she grumbled, making no effort to rise. "I came in here trying to rest, I haven't stopped moving for almost eight hours straight."

"Damn." Tall guy whistled. "Now if only we cared. Are you deaf?"

Beard studied her, before sighing and grabbing a few apples and a can of beans from the crate. "You need to eat kid. Get out of here, before I change my mind and make sure you never come back." She took the food, stuffing them in her bag. She tried in vain to get to her feet, falling to the floor again. "Mother… Gary, get her out of here."

She felt him grab her arm, dragging her outside. "I should gut you." he muttered, leading her out the back door and down the alleyway. "They'd never know."

"You should." she whispered.

He leaned in, raising an eyebrow. "Eh?"

She drew the knife from her boot, twisting in his grip and stabbing Gary in the gut. He howled, letting her go. She grabbed the gun and medicine, not bothering to search for the batteries before taking off running. "The little bitch stabbed me!" He screamed. She heard a shot ring out as tall guy ran outside, firing at her. Luckily she was too far away for the gun to hit her, and before turning the corner, she saw Beard grinning as she ran off. Then she was gone, off down the road and away from the men.

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She had retreated into the woods, trying to find her way to another town, or at least a house. She felt more and more doubtful that she would ever be found at this point, if she kept moving she would only be making it harder for Tristan to track her down.

She came to a river bed, and knelt down to refill her water bottle. She jumped as something crawled onto her hand, then she rose it up to see a little crayfish crawling on her hand. It pinched her, and she yelped, tossing it away. She sighed, raising up the water bottle. River water was supposed to be clean, but there were dirt particles floating inside. She had no idea what might be in here.

She wandered some more, and after an hour the sunrise began to illuminate the sky. Rays beamed through the leaves, and more than once she spotted deer run through the bushes. Then she spotted a rabbit in mid air. No, in a trap. It was suspended by a noose around its foot. It was whimpering and struggling, whoever had designed the trap didn't do a good job of making sure it was killed. She felt her heart wrench, and she grasped the rabbit, unhooking its leg and gently placing it back on the ground. As it scampered away, she heard a groan of exasperation.

A man walked through the foliage, glaring at her. He was dressed in all camouflage, with a hunting rifle strapped to his back. "What the hell did you do that for? Do you know what traps are meant for?"

"Yeah, but if you were any kind of hunter you'd have more than one trap set up, and you'd know how to make sure the prey was killed when its triggered." Alice shot back, folding her arms.

"Little brat." he grumbled. He eyed Alice's hand, which was firmly grasping the handle of her gun. "Relax, girl. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"A lot of people say that out here." She replied, not taking her glaring eyes off of him.

He smirked. "That's true enough. Believe what you want, but I'm one of the people who means it." He dismissively turned away from her, walking back the way he came.

Alice breathed a sigh of relief, then cursed as he stomach churned. The apple had already been eaten, as had the granola bar, but she was dehydrated and she didn't trust that river water. "W-wait!" she called out, running after him. "If you don't mind, do you have any water?"

"Sure I do." he replied, not turning towards her. "But you'd have to trust me enough to come back to my fort. My canteen is out." She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. This guy seemed too nonchalant. "Name's Mitchell. But you can call me Mitch, I don't really care."

"Alice." she responded, walking side by side with him. They guy seemed to widen his eyes as she said her name, but she didn't notice. "If you're worried about me being a burden, don't be. I just need some water so I can find a place to stay until my friends find me."

"Oh yeah?" Mitch said, slowing down so she could keep up with him. Her fatigue was setting in, visibly. "Any other kids? Parents?"

"No?" she answered, raising an eyebrow. "My… my dad. And dog."

Mitch seemed taken aback by the word dad. "Huh." he said. "Interesting." They walked in silence after that. Eventually they came to a run down cabin with two pick up trucks out front. "Not much, i know. We're just staying here for a few days before heading out again. Gotta stay mobile."

"I'm the same way." she replied. "If you're leaving though, this would be the perfect place to hide out until my dad finds me." It _was_ perfect, the cabin was in a fair sized clearing, a cliff running along the left side with a drop so steep she didn't even want to guess how far it went. Defendable enough, and it would be warm. Mitch opened the screen door, holding it open. Alice gestured, _no, you first._

Mitch laughed. "You're smart, kid. Wise not to trust anyone out here, except those you know." He walked inside, Alice following him.

"Alice?"

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Gary groaned as Rob stitched his wound shut, Dan having gone out to look for the girl. "You really are a dumbass, you know that?" Rob said, pulling the thread.

"How was I supposed to know the little brat had a knife?!" Gary asked in protest. "Besides, why did you let her go instead of killing her?"

"She's a kid." Rob replied, finishing his work. "Besides, you're the only one she was a threat to, Lollipop guild."

"You son of a-" they heard a thump, and they turned to see Dan's bloodied body dropped in front of them. They rose their eyes to see a man silhouetted by the moonlight through the doorway. They recognized the hat from the drawing, and they both paled as they also noticed the bloody katana and growling dog behind him. "So." the man said in a lowered voice. "Where is this _brat?_ "


End file.
